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Sara Melvin
The Weather Station
Politics
Artists and Music Organizations Send Pleas to Vote in the Upcoming Canadian Election
Returning home from a tour in the U.S., indie folk musician The Weather Station issued a public call for Canadians not to disengage from the federal election on April 28. The American Federation of Musicians also sent out a message to members in Canada titled "Make Your Vote Count."
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Canadian musicians and music organizations are speaking out ahead of the federal election on April 28.
Indie folk artist The Weather Station took to Instagram on April 15 to make an impassioned plea to Canadians not to check out of this election. She had just returned from a tour in the U.S., supporting her new album Humanhood, and told followers that now is the time to prevent Canada from following in America's footsteps.
"I cannot articulate the level of relief I felt this time crossing the border back into Canada," she says. "I think we have no lived understanding of how bad things could get."
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The Weather Station, whose name is Tamara Lindeman, has previously spoken out about the U.S. administration, citing authoritarianism, threats to free speech and the right to protest, and dismantling of public services serving climate, education, health care and social security.
In her new video, she highlights the people fighting for those issues and to build community amidst crisis south of the border.
"Loved the shows, loved all the people we met, but it's so incredibly painful to see what people are going through," she says. "People feel exhausted, they feel afraid and at risk, they feel powerless...a lot of people increasingly feel kind of silenced, which is really scary."
"Crossing the border back into Canada, it's not crossing my mind of like, 'oh, I shouldn't post about climate, I shouldn't post about politics.' I feel free to speak my mind."
For Lindeman, preventing that trajectory in Canada means voting against the Conservative party, whose leader Pierre Poilievre has been compared to the U.S. president in terms of anti-social justice rhetoric, planned spending cuts and in receiving the endorsement of Elon Musk.
"I really strongly feel that what is happening in the U.S. is a nightmare scenario for the climate, for the world, for the future, for the people living there, for vulnerable people, for everybody, it is so destructive and in Canada we are in this position in this moment where we have a very clear choice to assert ourselves that we do not want to go down that path and we want Canada to be Canada, not just in a sense of sovereignty but in a sense of being a different place," Lindeman says.
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Speaking to Billboard Canada about why she felt compelled to share the video, Lindeman adds that when it comes to this election, the stakes couldn't be higher. "For an avalanche of reasons — from Trump's threats of annexation, to how misinformation and MAGA-style politics are moving across the border, to the immensity of the climate crisis, to the affordability crisis across this country," she elaborates.
She also points out Poilievre's desire to defund the CBC as particularly concerning for musicians, given how the public broadcaster supports Canadian music through radio airplay and events.
Her post received positive comments from fellow Canadian musicians like Jill Barber and Bells Larsen. Larsen, a folk singer-songwriter, last week shared that he cannot tour in the U.S. due to changes in Visa application policy that target trans musicians, requiring legal ID to match sex assigned at birth.
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"Take care of one another, stay safe out there, and please don't forget to vote in the Canadian federal election at the end of this month," Larsen wrote, concluding his tour cancellation announcement.
Canadian music organizations have also been emphasizing the importance of this election across party affiliations, against the backdrop of American politics.
Allistair Elliott, AFM Vice President from Canada, sent out a message today to American Federation of Musicians members in Canada titled "Make Your Vote Count."
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"The upcoming election is critical for Canadians — no matter your political leanings, your vote matters," Elliott writes. "Look south of the border to understand what can happen. In the last U.S. election, 32% of votes went to Republicans and 31% to Democrats. That means 68% of U.S. voters did not vote for the current president. True democracy is achieved when everyone votes. Plan, do your research, and most importantly, vote. It really matters, can, and will make a difference."
The message stops short of endorsing particular parties or candidates, but highlights policy areas that affect musicians and arts workers, such as generative artificial intelligence, diversity equity and inclusion, trade tariffs, and strengthening public health care.
"Human rights have taken a huge step backward in the U.S. under the Trump administration. Which party will continue to protect these long-established Human Rights for Canada?" the message asks. "Cross-border travel for musicians is of high importance on both sides of the border. Which party do you think is more likely to listen to concerns and work with our Union?"
The Canadian Live Music Association published a note last week from President Erin Benjamin, emphasizing the importance of the live music industry in Canada to both the country's economy and its cultural identity.
Benjamin called on supporters to send a letter to federal election candidates of all parties, calling on them to leverage Canadian music for the future.
The Canadian federal election is Monday, April 28. Find information on how to vote, including your riding and candidates, here.
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