Neil Young lets fly at Harper Government over oilsands

Don’t expect any backstage passes for Prime Minister Stephen Harper the next time Canadian rock icon Neil Young plays a gig. Young let loose at Mr. Harper and his government at a press conference Sunday in Toronto.

Young later played the first of four Canadian dates on a tour aimed at raising money for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, which is fighting the oilsands development in Alberta. The 68-year-old Young is being joined on the tour by Canadian jazz chanteuse Diana Krall.

Young said the Harper government is ignoring science, and Canada is trading integrity for money.

“That’s what’s happening under the current leadership in Canada, which is a very poor imitation of the George Bush administration in the United States and is lagging behind on the world stage. It’s an embarrassment to any Canadians.”

Young said he was “shattered” after visiting a Fort McMurray industrial site and compared the region to the atomic bomb-devastated wreckage of Hiroshima, Japan.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Harper responded on Monday, saying even the lifestyle of a rock star like Young relies to some degree on the natural resources sector.

Jason MacDonald said projects are approved only when deemed safe for Canadians.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation represents a community living roughly 200 kilometres downstream of current oilsands development. The group is embroiled in a legal battle to protect their traditional territory from further industrialization.

“The name Canada’s based on a First Nations word,” Young said at his press conference. “The word Ottawa’s based on a First Nations word, Ontario’s based on a First Nations word, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec — these are all First Nations words. This is where Canada came from.”

“We made a deal with these people. We are breaking our promise. We are killing these people. The blood of these people will be on modern Canada’s hands.”