Pondering I believe that if Gregoire were someone else, not married to Trudeau and not a Liberal you would not be defending her.
I think this is the essential credibility problem you have here.
It is not believable that she did not know that she was to be the face of the event -- a white face where that is wrong. She ought to have known better.And yes public figures need to ask when given an invitation: "who else is involved?" Anyone not privileged and stunned would have had the answer.
To say her cluelessness is racist may sound harsh but the greatest feature of white racism today is not overt but this tradition of cluelessness- being oblivious. It is privelege that gives you that ability to be as stunned as she was. If you are going to be a public figure in these contexts and you do not take the time to check these things you are clueless, oblivious, prejudiced -- racist may sound harsh but, I am sorry, it is not inaccurate.
Race relations in Canada is not so much, most of the time, a question of getting a metaphorical fist in the face -- it is a question of getting the elbow. If you and Gregoire can't understand this, then you are, yourself, part of the problem. Sorry but this needs to be said.
Many of us are well-meaning. Many of us can make mistakes and at times do. Combatting racism is understanding our part of it. When we are unaware, due to privelege, we miss stuff. But after the fact things are clear and how we react to our mistakes defines character. Defending it saying it is not a problem is racist. Her inability to speak out after the event when it was clear what happened and apologize for it was racist even if her presence there and her little song was clueless. The result was clear. To think, her white priveleged self, was an appropriate focus for the event -- even after it when the media came out -- that is racist. And yes, she could have spoken out after -- saying that it was not her intention to hijack this.
She as the celebrity she is, could call a press conference and say here standing with me are the people you really should be hearing from, thank the people for attending and give the floor to the people who should ahve headlined the event. She is choosing to use her celebrity for herself and her husband rather than responsibly. She has a choice here and is perhaps too stunned to see it.
She can't see that, maybe, becuase she is priveleged and clueless. When this affects racial inequality we call that racist. She is not nasty or overt but don't tell me this behaviour is not racist. Think elbow not fist.
If ever you can take your Liberal rose coloured glasses off, there might be hope that you could see this. Try to stop behaving here as the defender and advocate of the Liberals and Trudeau and a little more aware. Please.