The moment comes from a town hall in Edmonton, Alberta, in February 2018, when Trudeau was answering a young woman who used the word mankind while asking about religious charities. He interjected to suggest peoplekind, a term he framed as more inclusive, and the exchange was filmed and shared widely within hours. Critics seized on it as an example of performative political correctness, while supporters noted he quickly moved on, and the clip has since circulated in political commentary, reaction videos and meme edits as shorthand for that debate.
About this sound
Justin Trudeau saying peoplekind at a 2018 town hall after correcting mankind to a more inclusive term. It is reused in memes about political correctness.
This short clip captures Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau interrupting a questioner at a town hall to suggest peoplekind instead of mankind, delivered in his calm, earnest voice with a brief pause as he offers the replacement word. The moment lands because the correction feels both polite and unnecessary, turning a routine answer about volunteering into an instantly quotable slip. You can hear the emphasis on the new word and the audience reaction that follows, which makes the audio work as a punchline even without the full exchange. It sounds sincere rather than angry, which is why edits use it to underline overcorrection and well-meaning but tone-deaf interruptions.
