Opinion: Doug Ford’s “Pooping on the Beach” Comments Perpetuate Anti-Indian Racism

On August 7, 2024, Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly commented that anyone visiting Ontario’s Wasaga Beach on the western shores of Lake Huron shouldn’t be “pooping on the beach,” while in the same sentence admitting there is “no proof” of this occurring. These comments came after a TikTok user went viral, claiming that defecation in the sand had been a problem at Wasaga Provincial Park for years. In response to these claims and the attention brought to them by Ford, Wasaga Mayor Brian Smith stated there was no evidence of this “unsanitary behavior” occurring.

While it would be easy to criticize Ford’s decision to publicly call attention to a problem that doesn’t actually exist, his comments are, in reality, deeply divisive, polarizing, and ultimately racist rhetoric that serves to validate the rise in anti-Indian sentiment within Ontario—especially in small, mostly white, rural towns. By obfuscating the underlying racist sentiment of his comments with humor and immediate backtracking, Ford protects himself from criticism while perpetuating a harmful lie that disproportionately targets South Asian immigrants and validates white Canadians’ increasingly open animosity towards them.

In response to my argument, sympathizers might argue that Ford didn’t explicitly mention a specific race in his comments. While this is true and undoubtedly intentional, as someone who grew up in the small, white, rural beach town of Goderich, Ontario, I can assure you there is an implied racialization of who is supposedly pooping on our beaches. White people from small, rural beach towns in Ontario genuinely believe that Indian people are coming to visit their beaches and pooping in holes they’ve dug in the sand. There is no evidence that this has actually been a problem at any beach in Ontario. And while I, too, am put off by the prospect of finding human excrement on a public beach, I feel I must point out that this isn’t the first time the Canadian right wing has propagated a narrative involving feces to stir up outrage against a marginalized group. Who could forget in 2022, when the “litterboxes in your child’s school” hoax circulated around their community? Just like how everyone has heard of Indians pooping in holes on the beach but has no real evidence, everyone had heard of someone whose child’s school had implemented litterboxes in the student bathrooms to appease the furries at their school.

The theme of human feces featuring prominently in both of these narratives is not a coincidence, as disgust sensitivity is a powerful motivator and has been proven to have a strong association with anti-immigrant attitudes. Disgust avoidance is an effective tool for “othering,” borne from our genetic predisposition to protect ourselves against disease from outside threats. When this part of our genetic code is preyed upon and hijacked by emotionally-affective narratives, our rationality is shaken, and we are more likely to soften to xenophobic thinking. When our rationality is challenged in this way, we are tasked with practicing cognitive discipline and appealing to our sense of empathy. For many, this is becoming an increasingly strenuous process amid the stressors of daily life. It is no secret Canada is experiencing an economic downturn and detectable inflation—especially on essentials like groceries and housing. While the Bank of Canada attributes this phenomenon to factors like a spike in commodity prices, a surge in global demand for goods, and impaired supply chains, immigration rates remain contentiously interwoven with inflation for many Canadians. Government attempts to mitigate this connection haven’t been entirely convincing either. The Bank of Canada issued a statement concluding that they “estimate that [immigration] alone did not have a significant impact on inflation” while admitting that “due to Canada’s existing housing supply challenges, population growth has added to the pressure on shelter price inflation.” Measures such as announcing a decrease in temporary residences from 6.2% to 5% and implementing a 2-year cap on student permits have not stemmed Canada’s growing anti-immigrant resentment. For an increasing number of disaffected Canadians, these measures merely embolden their xenophobic thoughts by serving as proof that the Canadian government knows there’s a problem.

Regardless of how one feels about immigration and the economic pressures we face as Canadians, it is important to remember that remarks like those made by Ford don’t help anyone. They promote hateful narratives about people—fellow human beings—and the more you engage with them, the easier they are to repeat. It’s up to us to resist the temptation to carve our complex world into simple conclusions and avoid defaulting to ignorance just because it is easy. Remember, the wealthiest 20% of Canadians accounted for more than two-thirds (67.7%) of Canada's total net worth in the fourth quarter of 2023. For politicians like Ford, all it takes to defer the conversation away from wealth inequality is a good scapegoat.