Focus on the here and now

We are only a couple of weeks into the official federal election campaign and it’s clear it will be one of the most contentious campaigns in Canadian history.

Each of the major parties vying for power have had at least one of their candidates quit or be forced to drop out, based on past social media posts or other information – some from far in the past – that was “unearthed” by their opponents and released to the media.

Last week, such activity reached a new plateau when photos and videos surfaced of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau engaging in blackface and brownface – dressing up in make-up to look black- or darkskinned – back when he was a teenager and in his twenties, leading to calls for him to resign due to this racist behaviour.

While past behaviour should not be ignored, it is important that we not rush to judgment in how we look at these types of incidents.

To be very clear, engaging in black/brownface is considered racist today and when I saw the photos and videos, it was jarring to the senses and disturbing to see, especially from the prime minister of this country. He was swiftly lambasted by the other party leaders and issued an immediate apology to all Canadians, acknowledging the hurt such photos could cause for those who had experienced racism.

It was only a week or so before then that the Liberals had released old video from main rival Andrew Scheer concerning comments made during the same-sex marriage debate which were labeled as homophobic. There is a healthy dose of hypocrisy on both sides as each try to hold the other responsible for the past while expecting voters to accept that their side has moved on from the past. Such tactics stir the emotions of voters and deflect from the issues that are crucial in this present campaign.

I do not believe Trudeau is racist and he has clearly demonstrated in the intervening years that his beliefs are inclusive and his cabinet reflects this diversity.

While I won’t fault him on racism, I do have issues with his handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair, the huge deficits of his government and his failure to pass proportional representation; all of these concerns are recent.

Likewise, while I’m not sure about Scheer’s views concerning same-sex marriage, I do accept his assertion that his party will not be reopening this debate if elected; I do have concerns about his plans to cut taxes and add new spending while at the same time promising to balance the budget.

I would imagine that most of us did things when we were young that do not reflect the person we are today. We all make mistakes and part of maturing is learning from these mistakes. If you are applying for a new job – which is essentially what candidates in an election campaign are doing – would you want to be assessed on the values and skills you have now or to have all this negated by a mistake you made when you were a teenager, which no longer represents who you are and what you believe?

If anything, having the ability to challenge one's beliefs and grow into a new understanding is an admirable quality for a potential politician to have as opposed to the increasingly inflexible lines that have been drawn between our two main political parties.

I can certainly relate more to someone who has had to grapple with their mistakes versus someone who comes across as perfect and presents themselves as never having made a mistake in their lives.

In this campaign, we need to focus on the here and now. If there is anything good that can come out of the attention given to Trudeau's past mistakes, it is that the issue of racism still exists in Canadian society and that it doesn’t have to be direct to have an impact. We can use this incident to examine our own attitudes to see if we, too, are accepting of all our fellow Canadians.