Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has dismissed the idea that Christmas could be “racist” following a report from a federal human rights watchdog that said the holiday is an example of “religious discrimination.” During question period in the House of Commons on Nov. 29, Mr. Trudeau stated, “I’m very pleased to stand up and try to answer a totally ridiculous question. Obviously, Christmas is not racist. This is a country of diversity, a country that celebrates not just our personal individual beliefs, but we share and celebrate the events of our neighbours too. That’s what makes this country so rich.”
Mr. Trudeau was answering a question from Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, who raised a recent discussion paper by the Canadian Human Rights Commission on the issue of religious intolerance. Mr. Blanchet said that according to the commission, “celebrating Christmas with trees, family, music, and gifts, that’s systemic racism.” He further questioned, “I wonder whether Santa Claus is racist. I wonder whether snow has become racist. Mr. Speaker, according to the prime minister, is Christmas racist?”
The Oct. 23 paper from the commission says that discrimination against religious minorities stems from Canada’s colonial history, manifested in present-day systemic religious discrimination. The paper suggests that Canada’s history with religious intolerance is deeply rooted in its identity as a settler colonial state. The Canadian Human Rights Commission’s paper contains language from different forms of post-modern critical theories, such as critical race theory (CRT), and draws directly from one of its architects, Kimberlé Crenshaw. CRT asserts that society is governed by systems that uphold white supremacy, which can be countered by implementing discrimination against white people.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also chimed in on the matter, expressing that he would “be the first of the season to wish everybody a Merry Christmas” and criticizing the prime minister’s policies. Mr Trudeau defended his stance, responding that “climate denialism” of the Tories is putting in jeopardy white Christmases in the future and making it clear that “on this side of the House, we stand for Christmas!”
Quebec’s legislature passed a unanimous motion defending Christmas and condemning the commission’s stance, rejecting “any polarization around unifying events which have been part of Quebec’s heritage for many generations.” Quebec’s Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette said people in Quebec would not apologize for celebrating Christmas, and Premier François Legault has pushed back in recent years against the concept that “systemic racism” plagues society.