The Bloomberg headline “Trudeau Will Be First World Leader to Appear on TV's 'Drag Race'” makes it sound as though other world leaders will be lining up to welcome drag-queen contestants on national television. But, even if they enjoyed men dressing up in outlandish women’s clothing, and sought desperately to pander to the LGBTQ vote, it is difficult to imagine President Joe Biden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, or President Volodymyr Zelensky gleefully walking onto the stage of Canada’s Drag Race. It isn’t the act of a dignified world leader, and has nothing to do with discharging the duties of a head of government..It does however, have everything to do with politics..Trudeau has brazenly pandered to all of his favorite demographics since coming to power in 2015, has supported the LGBTQ2+ communities publicly at ‘pride parades’ across Canada, and issued one of his many formal apologies for past injustices to LGBTQ2+ people..It’s show business folks!.But how many voters is Canada’s woke leader actually pandering to, on the Canada’s Drag Race stage?.According to a report published by Statistics Canada in 2021, the LGBTQ2+ communities now number one million in Canada, which would represent approximately 2.7 per cent of the total population (up from just 1.7 per cent in 2003.) The report contains some other interesting data however. Apparently, for reasons unexplained, almost one third of LGBTQ2+ Canadians are under 25 years of age — compared to only 7 per cent over 65 (a statistical anomaly surely worthy of future examination.).So, is Trudeau being imprudent when he courts the LGBTQ vote — risking the alienation of those voters who don’t share his woke views, and would prefer that their PM focus more on solving some of the larger problems he has created over the past seven years? You know, inflation, the national debt, federal spending, unsustainable immigration quotas, the carbon tax, or the worsening healthcare crisis?.Does it make sense to risk offending the millions of Canadians — not all of whom are LGBTQ enlightened — who might be embarrassed by their leader cavorting with drag queens on television, however talented and entertaining they might be — in order to troll for woke virtue points?.Well, along with that risk, there is also some logic..According to Elections Canada data, 17,209,000 Canadians voted in the 2021 election, or just over 16 million non-LGBTQ2+ people..How does the political calculus weigh these numbers exactly — 16 million on the one hand, 1 million on the other — to green-light his drag queen appearance? That million is a large potential pool of votes..Admittedly, not all members of the LGBTQ community are going to vote for Trudeau, pandering notwithstanding. The LGBTQ community is comprised of a diverse socio-economic group, many of whom recognize wanton political pandering when they see it. Like everybody else, they still have to buy food and pay the rent. It is a mistake therefore, to assume that this voting-block is entirely homogenous. .However, one factor in the good decision/bad decision algorithm is obviously LGBTQ friends — the expanded sympathetic reach, beyond actual numbers, of the LGBTQ demographic. When Trudeau makes a large, public politic grab at LGBTQ votes — such as appearing on “Canada's Drag Race” — he is also leveraging those non-LGBTQ voters who are supportive of LGBTQ rights..Since LGBTQ rights are a core ‘wokie’ cause (critics would say obsession,) it follows that many of these non-LGBTQ voters will be ‘wokies’..While there are no statistics available for Canada, a 2021 Hill-HarrisX poll found that an astounding 32 per cent of American voters identified themselves as ‘woke.’ Applying that number to Canada (where the actual number may well be far greater,) Trudeau could have been leveraging an additional 5.2 million votes beyond the 1 million LGBTQ votes..Then there's the disproportionate amount of media focus given LGBTQ as a topic generally. According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination's 17th annual 'Where We Are on TV?' report, “out of the 775 series-regular characters on the 2021-2022 prime-time slate, 92 — or, 11.9 percent — of them are LGBTQ. That's not only a jump of 2.8 percent from last year's 9.1 percent, but also a record-high percentage for broadcast television.” It is likely therefore, that some non-LGBTQ, non-‘woke’ voters will also be influenced to vote LGBTQ at the next election in 2025..So, one million LGBTQ votes, plus 5.2 million ‘wokie’ votes, plus some unquantifiable number of sympathetic votes… well over a third of Canadian voters..Viewed then, through the clarifying prism of identity politics, Trudeau’s appearance on Canada’s Drag Race suddenly comes into focus as cleverly calculated free publicity..There is a reason that the Liberals are often referred to as the 'Natural Governing Party of Canada' — and it isn’t good government policies… it’s smart politicking..Picturing what opposition leader Pierre Poilievre would look like in a Judy Garland costume?.Nah…maybe not.
