Racism stays centre stage in federal election as hateful graffiti appears in Peel

Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau have been telling voters the 2019 federal election is about affordability. Whether they want you to “choose forward” or “get ahead,” it’s all about how to get a little more money into everyone’s pockets.

Three weeks ago, the focus of the federal election forcefully turned to racism. 

Photographs and video of Trudeau in blackface and brownface cast the spotlight on Canada’s continuing problems with race. With Jagmeet Singh, the first racialized federal leader in Canadian history, on the campaign trail, the issues became clearer still.

Two NDP candidates in Brampton have now been subject to hateful vandalism. Saranjit Singh (Brampton East), a turban-wearing Sikh, had the “n” word scrawled across one of his campaign signs, while Navjit Kaur (Brampton West), a Sikh who wears a head-covering, had “Take this off or go back, F off” written across one of her own signs. The graffiti, discovered in the past week, show a disturbing side of Brampton.

Expressing concern for his community, Saranjit Singh told The Pointer his first thoughts were for Black residents in Brampton East.

“My initial response when I see such hateful language is that I think, right away, about the individuals who have been impacted by that word in particular and racism in general,” Singh said. “It is something that has been used against the Black community and it causes a lot of pain.”

“I draw a lot of inspiration from the way Jagmeet has handled similar situations,” he added, “always making sure to respond to hate with love, to focus on the individuals most impacted by these statements.”

Indeed, the NDP leader has drawn praise throughout the federal election campaign for how he has dealt with racism. Most recently, Singh was in Atwater Market, Montreal, when a member of the public told him to “cut off” his turban in order to look “more Canadian.” The leader’s measured response won him much praise.

Jagmeet Singh’s manner may resonate even more strongly in Peel, where most residents are immigrants or visible minorities. In 2017 and 2018, Peel Police saw a spike in the number of hate crimes reported in Brampton and Mississauga. A total of 107 were recorded in 2018; the year before, the number was 158. It was an enormous increase compared to the 59 reports in 2016 and 63 in 2015.

Of the 107 hate crimes reported last year, 46 were related to race and 26 to religion. Consistent with the defacing of Singh’s and Kaur’s signs, 49 percent were recorded as “mischief.” That refers to property damage, often in the form of offensive graffiti. 

A similar case of vandalism took place at the end of September in Alberta. Signs belonging to the NDP candidate for Calgary Skyview, Gurinder Singh Gill, were painted with a message telling the candidate to “Go back.” The story was widely shared around the country and condemned by candidates from across the political spectrum.

The hateful vandalism that took place in Brampton East wasn’t new to Saranjit Singh. Three weeks ago, on the day Trudeau’s brownface scandal broke, Singh wrote on Twitter that he had dealt with racism all his life.

“I’ve been called a terrorist, paki, raghead. Bullied and attacked because of how I look,” Singh tweeted. “Tonight I’m reliving all of those moments.”

Saranjit Singh told The Pointer that young people and a celebration of diversity are the key to long-term progress.

“Diversity is our strength; that’s what we believe in our office. Racism and discrimination is a reality in Canada. We need to tackle that reality,” he said. “That’s our focus on creating a more accepting community, one which is supportive. Our campaign is always full of a lot of youth and a lot of enthusiasm. And that enthusiasm is so important when something like this happens.”

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Twitter: @isaaccallan