It's okay to say the N-word as long as you’re quoting the Mayor of Peterborough, Mark Twain, that one book by Pierre Vallières or almost any Quentin Tarantino movie.

This, according to former mayor of Peterborough Sylvia Sutherland––who is just as white as current mayor Jeff Leal.

Sutherland, says that while it’s kind of “stupid” to do so, it’s actually all good to go ahead and say it whenever as long as you do it with Christian love in your heart. 

Leal used the racial slur during a guest lecture at Trent University for reasons which continue to baffle the community, but among the oldest, whitest imaginable people in the city, it actually makes him pretty cool and chill.

Leal would later explain that sometimes quotes can be just one word and that, in his opinion, it's fine to use slurs if another guy did 80 years ago, or whatever will help the heat to die down.

“Go ahead, say it!” Sutherland said in an interview with Arthur. “Jesus has got your back!”

(Editor’s Note: The author of this article did not say it despite being egged on by the longest-serving mayor of Peterborough to do so.)

Arthur spoke to Sutherland after she wrote a column in the Peterborough Examiner where she said that the slur in question actually “isn’t a hanging offence” and that we’re all just “flawed Christians” who say slurs in public while holding elected office.

“One thing I know for sure is that Jeff Leal is not a racist,” Sutherland said unprompted. “The last thing we should expect of elected leaders is accountability, or a nuanced understanding of racial politics.”

“I know Jeff’s heart and I’m pretty sure he’s a good Christian like me and so while all these Black community members, and students, and members of the ‘woke-mob’ think Leal should step down, I personally don’t think he should be lynched or anything,” Sutherland said, once again connecting the treatment of Leal since news of the slur arose to the centuries of violence experienced by Black communities.

“I mean he’s white, after all, and most importantly, he’s a man of a certain age. You can’t expect a senior citizen like Jeff to not use language like that,” she continued, explaining that to do so would be “erasing history.” 

When asked why she continued to invoke racially charged language which evokes the long history of violent civilian mobs, state and police violence and the history of slavery which Black communities have experienced across North America to excuse a 70-year-old man who intentionally used a racial slur in front of 300 students at the city’s largest post-secondary institution, Sutherland said that she wished people would be more “reasonable.”

“In the words of the prophet Isaiah ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’” Sutherland said. “Isn’t that nice? You know, when I was a reporter, I would never be so rude to the mayor or a nice old woman like me. This is small potatoes compared to what that idiot did with Bonnerworth!”

Reached for comment, Mayor Leal told Arthur he appreciated his long-time friend’s support during what has been “a difficult time” for him.

“I don’t appreciate the calls for accountability,” Leal said as he vigorously polished his pickleball paddle in his office. 

“It’s not even that big of a deal, and I know I’ve still got the support of the same people who actively protested Drag Story Time and gathered outside City Hall to call for the execution of Justin Trudeau,” Leal said, referencing Hill City Baptist Church’s Ben Inglis.

“Say what you want, but Christians stick together,” Leal said. “They say I’m a chill guy who loves to vibe.”

Multiple Integrity Commissioner complaints against Leal could see the Mayor be forced to forego pay for up to three months if Council decides this is appropriate. 

“The idea of someone being forced to work free for using a racial slur is unthinkable,” Sutherland said. “The poor man!"

"I thought we’d ended slavery a long time ago!”