Trudeau may have got it wrong—but how can politicians get cultural sensitivity right?

Justin Trudeau’s recent visit to India stirred up controversy around the Canadian Prime Minister and his family wearing Indian attire. Critics said Trudeau’s clothing was a “bit much,” and accused him of “playing dress-up.” But his visit to my motherland made me reflect on exactly how difficult it is for any politician to engage positively with a community which is not their own.

In my conversations with Canadian Indian family friends, the images of Trudeau and his family have had some resonance. Najma Lalji, 71, from Toronto saw it as a “good, respectful gesture” and was pleased that the family had made an attempt to “embrace Indian traditions.”

Nikhel Solanki is 28 and from Mississauga. He said, “at least he was willing to put him and his family out there and try—which speaks volumes.” Priya Shah, 28 from Richmond, was pleased to see it and called the photos “cute.”

Yet others were not so happy. Iman Virji, who is 25 from Vancouver, was offended by what she saw as cultural appropriation, which she felt made “a joke” of Indian culture while also highlighting that non-Indians see the country as “one big Bollywood movie.” An auntie in her fifties from Barrie put it more strongly: “He should have worn a suit and stopped his show-and-tell charade for votes.”

The incident was a stark reminder that politicians must take their ethnic minority voters seriously but be careful not patronise them. It is all too easy to make missteps that can offend or cause ridicule, like Jeremy Corbyn’s tweet saying “only Labour can be trusted to unlock the talent of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people.”

In this increasingly anti-establishment world, politicians are understandably doing everything possible to gain support. Indeed, elections are all about savvy strategising to maximise limited resources.

The battle for BME votes matters: according to British Future, it was the ethnic minority vote gap which cost Theresa May her majority in last year’s General Election. Policy Exchange reports the UK ethnic minority population is expected to double to 25-30 per cent by 2050.

Furthermore, BME voters are moving to marginal constituencies: at the next General Election, target seats for both of the main parties are predicted to have ethnic minority populations of over 20 per cent. In some seats, such as Harrow West, that proportion is above 50 per cent.

Here, MPs would do well to consider the Canadian example, especially as the Canadian centre-right provides a successful model in broadening minority appeal. Over a ten-year period, Canada's Conservatives grew BME support from 10 per cent to 40 per cent.

This was, in part, achieved by a serious and long-term engagement programme led by their Citizenship Minister, Jason Kenney MP, and the development of a raft of new policies that were electorally appealing to different communities with diverse histories, attitudes and expectations, based on the understanding that there is not one single BME block of voters. Of course, more faces like mine in elected roles are also key—and Trudeau has been very progressive in this respect.

Parties’ engagement should not just about parties widening their electoral appeal, however, but about whether they want to genuinely represent all their constituents and to deliver the policies that will win support from those different communities. Parties cannot afford to simply ignore this problem—not just because of the impact it has on BME citizens' lives, but for what it says about governing for all.

This conversation should be two-way, so attending cultural events, places of worship and civic group meetings to hear what the real issues of concern are should continue David Cameron, in particular, made great efforts to engage with the Asian community, pulling out all the stops when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Britain in 2015, for example.

Politians must be mindful, however, that not every British Indian cares about the same thing—just as every Scot or Mancunian wouldn’t. Common sense can go a long way.

Above all, the successful elements of Canada’s approach in engagement—helping migrants succeed economically and reflecting their country in government—can translate to the UK. The party that can appeal to the many different BME communities in an authentic and serious way will surely reap the electoral benefits.

But the discussion following the Trudeau family’s efforts reflects the difficulties of achieving authentic engagement—it sounds easy to achieve, but in reality it is very difficult to get right. We all know what “genuine” looks like when it happens, and when it’s done well, the conversation won’t focus on who was wearing what.