The Human Condition: Trudeau stickers

By DR. DANIEL SCHNEE on August 24, 2022.

You occasionally see them around town: trucks with stickers on them that refer to Justin Trudeau in a vulgar manner. Since common decency dictates I not use the exact word that begins with the letter F, I will instead pretend the stickers read “Forget Trudeau.”

And that indeed is a major issue for me, common decency. Many of us use that word in controlled, private circumstances. Boldly emblazoning things in public with that word though is a different matter. It makes things vulgar and cheap; our visual discourse becomes blunt rather than nuanced. And nowadays we certainly need nuance to save us from our various socio-political problems. But I also believe in free speech: obscenity may be rude, but we must protect our right to say (and write) it at all costs.

Such stickers raise an important question though: is Trudeau really so terrible that he actually merits a rude sticker? What has he done right or wrong to make such an automotive accessory seem necessary to some people?

Last week, Trudeau nominated Michelle O’Bonaswin to the Supreme Court of Canada, meaning she would become the first Indigenous person to sit in that role. O’Bonaswin’s resume is impressive, and she is extremely qualified. What she would bring to the court too is essential: the ability to interpret law in a manner that would help the other eight justices better understand how federal laws impact Indigenous communities. In this instance Trudeau is making a great move, and potentially improving the lives of more than a million Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people across the country.

Some think Trudeau has made merely cosmetic changes in seeking gender balance on the Supreme Court and in the cabinet; a case of equity over competency. The cabinet though is chosen from the House of Commons, made up of members who were voted into power by we the people, so Trudeau and the Governor-General (Mary Simon, an Inuk person) are choosing who we ourselves made available. Thus, any criticism of Trudeau’s choices in that regard is ultimately a reflection of our own ability (or inability) to put qualified people in office in the first place. Indeed, if anything, Mary Simon’s penchant for playing the accordion seems to be about the only thing questionable in this situation.

Trudeau certainly has a lot to account for though. It is not a good look to say the least that he has pledged close to a billion dollars to Syrian humanitarian assistance while many Indigenous reserves don’t have clean drinking water. And we in Alberta are very familiar with Trudeau’s aggressive oil regulation and taxation while Saudi Arabian refined petroleum flows into Canada freely. It is also not wrong to say that Trudeau’s WE Charity and SNC-Lavalin scandals are anywhere from unethical to highly corrupt.

Thus, like any other Prime Minister there are any number of reasons why Justin Trudeau should stay or go. But “Forget” Trudeau stickers do nothing to facilitate his departure. They are rude, useless and a bad example for the kids. A better strategy than turning a truck into a tasteless political ad is to acknowledge Trudeau’s few good works, hold him accountable for his many bad works, and then “forget” him in the next election.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist and jazz/rock drummer

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