If the huge response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s rally in Surrey on Tuesday (September 24) evening is any indication, the South Asian community, for the most part, has chosen to bury the so-called brownface scandal that rocked Canada a few days ago.  

The uproar began when Time magazine printed a 2001 party picture suggesting that Trudeau had painted himself brown. Trudeau, who was a teacher back then, was participating in a fundraising event at a Vancouver school and dressed up like Aladdin.

It evoked strong reactions in several quarters because Trudeau is known for standing up for the rights of immigrants and racialized communities. Even though he apologized and acknowledged that he did something racist, Conservatives and the New Democrats are not letting this go.

In particular, Conservative and NDP candidates of South Asian ancestry are not willing to forgive Trudeau. This is despite the fact that Trudeau has personally apologized to Sikh NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh over the phone. 

However, close to 2,000 people, mostly brown-skinned Canadians of South Asian origin, showed up at the Tuesday rally to listen to their beloved leader. Some of them were the supporters of B.C. New Democrats. Among them were those who've worked on campaigns of Surrey NDP MLAs or are known to be related to them.

Not only was Trudeau welcomed with a huge round of applause, many iPhones went up in the air, with participants eager to take his picture.

People started arriving at the Aria Banquet Hall two hours before the time Trudeau began speaking after 7 p.m. The parking lot was completely full, and there was a huge line to get inside.

Trudeau too seemed confident, showing no sign of anxiety or worry as he addressed the gathering, which included many turbaned Sikh men, as well as Muslim women with head coverings. 

https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1176997852494663680

Participants approached for their reaction on the controversy said that they are brown and not at all offended, even though the opposition parties continue berating Trudeau on this issue. 

Some said that Trudeau is not racist and he didn’t do anything on purpose to mock any community. Most of them agreed that it was a theme party and dressing up like Aladdin wasn’t a big deal. They insisted that people should actually be concerned about far-right political parties with ties to white supremacists and that continue growing their base all over Canada. 

Trudeau's Surrey visit gave a major boost to the campaign of Randeep Singh Sarai, an incumbent Liberal for Surrey Centre. HIs riding is home to the Aria Banquet Hall.

Sarai welcomed Trudeau on the dais as other Liberal candidates from Greater Vancouver waited to hear from their leader. Surrey-Newton incumbent Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal also  spoke on the occasion.