Former Miss Universe Canada Halts Pageant Mid-Competition to Call Out Contestants’ Costumes for Cultural Appropriation

Tabitha ParentThu, August 13, 2026 at 3:50 PM UTC

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Ashley Callingbull stops the 2026 Miss Universe Canada competitionCredit: Miss Universe Canada -

Ashley Callingbull, the first First Nations Miss Universe Canada, addressed cultural appropriation during the pageant’s costume competition

Two contestants apologized after wearing outfits featuring elements traditionally worn by Indigenous peoples

Miss Universe Canada announced new guidelines to ensure costumes are respectful and avoid cultural appropriation in the future

Ashley Callingbull, the Miss Universe Canada 2024 titleholder, stopped this year’s competition to call out two contestants for their costumes, which featured clothing elements traditionally worn by Indigenous peoples. The contestants have since apologized for their outfits.Callingbull, a Plains Cree woman from the Enoch Cree Nation who was the first First Nations Miss Universe Canada, interrupted the final portion of the pageant’s competition that she was hosting on Aug. 8, addressing the room before the top 20 contestants were announced, according to the CBC Indigenous.As Miss Universe Canada director Sonny Borelli prepared to read off the names of the qualifying women, Callingbull stopped him and asked for the music to be turned down. “I wanted to acknowledge something,” she said, as seen in a clip from the program posted to Instagram. “So with Miss Universe Canada, me being the first Indigenous First Nations Miss Universe Canada, that was such a huge honor. One of the biggest dreams of my life was coming here and fulfilling that.”

“But sometimes there are mistakes that are made. During this week, I wanted to acknowledge this. During the national competition, the costume competition, there was cultural appropriation that was done towards Indigenous peoples. And I saw this right away. I wasn’t there. I just saw it on video,” she continued.

As part of the preliminary rounds leading up to the Miss Universe Canada final, the pageant hosted its national costume competition on Aug. 4. During the costume portion, Karisa Haverkamp walked on stage wearing a turquoise, black and white feathered headdress and a small red painted hand on her cheek, according to images captured from the pageant’s livestream by CBC Indigenous. Jasleen Kaily, another contestant, wore a two-piece costume with brown fringes on the thighs, two braids, mukluks (a type of traditional boot worn by many Indigenous communities) and a maple leaf cutout on her back.

Ashley Callingbull in Toronto on Feb. 11, 2025Credit: Mathew Tsang/Getty

Callingbull said her first reaction had been to call Borelli and the Miss Universe Canada team upon seeing the costumes. The pageant, she said, “immediately listened.” Per the clip, she added, “They heard exactly what we need to do to change. I think we’re living in a time, 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.”Both contestants have since apologized for wearing the costumes, and Miss Universe Canada released a statement addressing the incident. PEOPLE has reached out to Callingbull, Kaily, Haverkamp and the Miss Universe Canada Organization for further comment but did not immediately hear back.

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On Instagram, Haverkamp wrote, “I acknowledge and recognize that my outfit for the national costume caused hurt and offence to people in the Indigenous community. I am proud of my own great grand mother and her resilience and how much she was there for my dad and desired to share that with Canada and the world.”She continued, “I appreciate what I have learned from this experience and continue my commitment to stand up and speak for all women who have lost their voice because of violence, trauma and oppression.”Kaily also apologized for her costume in a post to Instagram that has since expired, per CBC Indigenous. “My intention was never to disrespect or misrepresent Indigenous culture” and upon developing her costume she wanted to “recognize and celebrate one of the First Peoples of Canada,” she wrote.

Karisa Haverkamp via InstagramCredit: Karisa Haverkamp/Instagram

However, in an interview with CBC Indigenous, Kaily explained that she had initially struggled to interpret the concept behind the costume competition round. “The best thing to do is represent Indigenous people because they have been in Canada the longest and it’s their land at the end of the day,” Kaily told the outlet.“They [Miss Universe Canada] didn’t really have any guidelines on appropriation or anything that we can or cannot do. I don’t want to bash Miss Universe Canada because they were very supportive with everything,” she continued.In its statement, the Miss Universe Canada organization wrote: “We have recently received feedback regarding some of the national costumes featured in our competition. We want to address this directly and sincerely: if any costume caused offense, hurt, or misunderstanding, please know that it was never our intention.”

Jasleen Kaily with the 2026 People’s Choice AwardCredit: Jasleen Kaily/Instagram

The organization added that the national costume segment is intended to “celebrate creativity, heritage, and identity. However, we recognize that every design requires deep care, respect, and continuous evaluation.” Callingbull was also thanked for her “guidance” on how to best address the incident and move forward.The pageant specified steps that they would be taking to “ensure” that a similar incident did not happen again, adding: ​”We are actively implementing a comprehensive Costume Guide. This guide will establish clear guidelines and standards for all future pageant cycles to ensure every presentation is thoughtful and respectful.”

on People

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