Host Ashley Callingbull halted the 2026 Miss Universe Canada pageant on Aug. 4 in Windsor, Ont., to denounce contestants’ indigenous-themed costumes as cultural appropriation. Pageant director Sonny Borrelli apologized, named Callingbull as cultural liaison, and promised a comprehensive costume guide for future competition cycles.
Pageantry collided with public accountability when a costume competition turned into an impromptu reckoning over cultural respect. During the Miss Universe Canada national pageantry costume competition held in Windsor, Ont., where 35 contestants competed for the crown, two specific outfits drew immediate backlash from Indigenous figures and viewers alike.
Contestant Karisa Haverkamp walked the stage wearing a feathered headdress in turquoise, black, and white alongside a small red painted hand on her cheek. Another contestant, Jasleen Kaily, appeared in an Arctic Beauty outfit featuring brown thigh fringes, two braids, and a maple leaf cutout on the back.
Ashley Callingbull and Emma Morrison Condemn Pageant Costumes
For former titleholders watching the broadcast, the display was jarring. Ashley Callingbull, hosting the event and serving as the first Canadian and Indigenous woman to win Mrs. Universe in 2015, interrupted the proceedings right before the announcement of the top 20 contestants to address the audience directly.
She added, It’s 2026. We should know better, but most importantly a part of reconciliation is that we educate and learn and understand and move on from these things in a good way.
In an interview with CBC Indigenous, Callingbull recalled her reaction to seeing the wardrobe choices, noting that my jaw just dropped on the floor
and asking, This cannot be real. I just couldn’t get over that this was happening. Who allowed this on stage? Who approved this?
Callingbull, who is Plains Cree from the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, also pointed out that identical headdresses are easily found for sale on e-commerce platforms like Etsy and Fashion Nova, where they are marketed for festivals and themed parties rather than recognized as sacred regalia. She added that she told organizers, Unless you were living under a rock, we know that headdresses are not OK at Coachella, so they’re not OK on stage.
Miss World Canada 2022 Emma Morrison echoed those concerns, stating that the outfits were culturally inappropriate and sexualized Indigenous people. Morrison, who is Mushkegowuk Cree from Chapleau Cree First Nation in northern Ontario, specifically criticized the painted handprint on Haverkamp’s cheek, which she believes represented Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
When you’re on stage, you’re smiling to the judges and it just doesn’t fit,
Morrison told the public outlet, adding that the stage that celebrated Callingbull two years prior should not be the same one where she faced disrespect.
Official Apologies and Public Statements from Organizers
Following the stage interruption, pageant director Sonny Borrelli took the microphone to address the audience and offer an apology on behalf of the organization.
Borrelli announced that Callingbull would step into a new role as the organization’s cultural liaison moving forward. Callingbull responded to the gesture on stage by telling the audience, We’re going to make sure that everyone is going to be respected and honoured properly.
Borrelli then replied, And thank you for teaching us and we’ll learn from it, we apologize again, we love you.
In a formal statement released on Friday, the pageant administration maintained that any offense caused was unintentional, though Morrison publicly noted that the initial written release lacked a direct apology. To prevent future incidents, pageant organizers confirmed they are actively developing a comprehensive costume guide to establish strict standards for upcoming competition cycles.
Contestants Share Public Apologies Online
Both contestants involved in the controversy turned to social media to address the backlash directly following the event. Karisa Haverkamp shared a post on Instagram acknowledging that her attire generated hurt and offense within the Indigenous community. She wrote that she has learned from the experience and remains committed to supporting women who have lost their voices to violence, trauma, and oppression.
Jasleen Kaily also issued an Instagram statement regarding her Arctic Beauty outfit. Kaily stated that her intention was never to disrespect or misrepresent Indigenous culture, explaining that her design process aimed to recognize and celebrate one of Canada’s First Peoples.
