On February 2, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a town hall meeting at MacEwan University that included a Q&A session. When asking a question, one woman used the word “mankind.” This prompted Trudeau to interrupt her, saying, “We like to say ‘peoplekind,’ not necessarily ‘mankind,’ because it’s more inclusive.”
The woman who asked the question is a member of the World Mission Society Church of God, a religious organization that has frequently inspired controversy and even been characterized as a cult prone to brainwashing its members. Her question regarded the difficulty her organization was having with Canada’s regulations that restrict volunteer work that can be done by religious groups.
“We came here today to ask you to also look into the policies that religious charitable organizations have in our legislations so that it can also be changed,” she said. It was when she added,”because maternal love is the love that’s going to change the future of mankind,” that Trudeau suggested the word “peoplekind.”
The woman who asked the initial question responded positively, replying, “There we go, exactly. Yes, thank you.” The Prime Minister responded, in turn, saying, “We can all learn from each other.”
Trudeau has declared himself a feminist, wrote an essay on raising his sons as feminists and has been a champion of women’s rights. His cabinet is also Canada’s first one to have an equal number of men and women. So his word correction is in line with his strong stance on gender equality.
The exchange has garnered some backlash against Trudeau, from snarky tweets to full-on editorials in publications like the Toronto Sun.
However, the interaction ended in a cheer at the event itself. And during a time in which outlandishly offensive remarks by political leaders are becoming commonplace, it may be for the best when one leader’s comment shows an appreciation for inclusion and ends with applause from the crowd.
