More Than 150 Canadian Musicians Sign Open Letter Against Pierre Poilievre Ahead of Canadian Election
As the Canadian federal election approaches on April 28, many Canadian artists are expressing concern about the Conservative leader. Neil Young, meanwhile, has thrown his support behind Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Canadian musicians are making their election choices known.
Over 150 musicians have signed a new letter from Music Votes Canada that aims to stop conservative leader Pierre Poilievre from winning the federal election on April 28.
"An Open Letter to Canadians: Why We Must Stop Pierre Poilievre from Becoming Prime Minister" features major signatories like Allison Russell, Dan Mangan, Raffi, Torquil Campbell (Stars), Haley Blais, Charlotte Cornfield and Damian Abraham (Fucked Up).
Also signing on is The Weather Station, who last week published an impassioned plea for Canadians to stay engaged in this election upon returning home from a tour through the U.S.
"Music comes from a place of deep love, and as musicians, we want to use the power of music to help bring our country together in this time of poly crises,” the letter reads.
From the letter's perspective, Canadians are at a crossroads. "The federal election on April 28th is possibly the most important in our country’s history," the letter states. Poilievre's platform, the letter argues, runs counter to "Canada's core values" such as public services, climate action and inclusive democracy.
"His agenda echoes Donald Trump’s playbook: sowing division, empowering the wealthy, and weakening institutions that unite us." Poilievre has elsewhere been compared to Trump thanks to his anti-social justice rhetoric and an endorsement from Elon Musk.
The letter highlights several parts of the Conservative campaign that are particularly concerning for musicians: Poilievre's threats to public broadcaster CBC; his commitments to expanding fossil fuels production amidst the climate crisis; and rhetoric that is "fostering division instead of unity" when it comes to marginalized communities.
The letter calls for leaders to ensure that every Canadian has a safe, affordable home; to tackle the climate crisis; to tax corporate profits; and to support arts and culture in Canada through a 1% commitment of the federal budget to the arts.
"We want art, culture and music to unite us and to help us tap into the abundance of creativity, imagination, and ingenuity we have as a country so we can invest in rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, addressing the climate emergency and making a more equitable Canada," the letter states.
Music Votes Canada doesn't explicitly endorse any particular party or candidate, outside of its anti-Poilievre position. Instead, the group concludes by calling on voters to support candidates who are best positioned to defeat the Conservative Party, endorsing resources such as Cooperate for Canada and Lead Now which provide candidate and riding guides.
One major Canadian star, however, has come out with a strong specific endorsement. Neil Young is putting his support behind Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals in a letter titled "I'm With You, Mr. Carney."
Though he now has dual citizenship with America, Young writes on his website, "I am a Canadian and always will be."
The letter reminisces on Young's childhood in Ontario and Manitoba, and expresses gratitude for the platform he has built to speak truth to power.
"Canada is facing threats to its very existence, incredibly from people we thought were our friends. They want our resources, they want our land, they want our fisheries, they want our water, they want our Arctic, maybe they want our souls. I know the U.S. president could use a soul."
Young has been an outspoken critic of the American President — recently performing at Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy tour— and he writes that Canada needs a leader who has bravado, brains, and a deep economic knowledge of the world to take on these threats.
Addressing Carney directly, he writes, "I believe you are the person our country needs to lead us through this crazy situation and bring us out the other side as a stronger, smarter, more resilient Canada, our core values of caring and fairness and generosity intact, along with our souls."
Find Young's full letter here, and the full letter and list of signees from Music Votes Canada here.
