Intersectionalities of Opportunism: Justin Trudeau and the Politics of “Diversity”

Abstract

For Prime Minister Trudeau, “equity talk” is central to his brand. He is a self-identified feminist, who embraces the terminology of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and borrows from discourses of intersectionality to frame his politics. There is now emerging literature that measures this “progressive” rhetoric against the reality, and this article seeks to contribute to that body of work. The focus of this article is especially on the use of “diversity” under the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. I begin by outlining how “diversity” has always held a complicated place in feminist, critical race, post-colonial, and intersectional scholarship and activism. The concepts of diversity and difference are used to analyze socially-constructed inequalities based on gender, sex, race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, ability, citizenship, and geography ( CRIAW 2006 ; Dhamoon 2009 ), while also problematized for their superficial and instrumental applications. I argue that when held to scrutiny, Prime Minister Trudeau’s language on diversity falls into this latter categorization, where diversity is used as a descriptor rather than an analytical tool and as an opportunistic political device that undermines equitable public policy. This article focuses specifically on the equation of diversity with regional difference, in which provincial/territorial “diversity” is unquestioned, un-scrutinized, and naturalized. Provincial/territorial “diversity” is wholly celebrated. Using three policy examples (climate change, child care, and genetic discrimination), I argue that a substantive intersectional policy analysis reveals Trudeau’s celebration of regional policy “diversity,” as actually a defence of inequality and disparity.