Billy Talent Clarify Photo with Ontario Cabinet Minister Lisa MacLeod

Published: August 23, 2019
As originally published by Calum Slingerland on Exclaim!

On top of rampant cuts to areas such as environmental protections, public health, education and social services, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative government have slashed funding for the Ontario Music Fund. Now, Billy Talent have explained they don't support the government's actions after appearing in a photo with a PC cabinet minister.

As the band explained in a statement on social media today, they had appeared in a photo alongside Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport Lisa MacLeod that was shared on social media earlier this week.

They explained that MacLeod had visited them at a recording studio in Toronto to discuss the negative impact cuts to the OMF have on artists. A now-deleted Twitter post from MacLeod appears to have included a joke about her playing drums on a forthcoming new album alongside the photo. That was promptly met with a wave of backlash from listeners.
"As we explained to the Minister, [the OMF cuts] doesn't impact us nearly as much as younger artists who are trying to make a living in a very difficult climate for musicians," the band wrote. "Unfortunately, a photo of us with the minister was posted without our knowledge or consent that completely misrepresents the purpose of the meeting and has been misrepresented by some as our support for the current administration."

They continued: "While we recognize that Ms. MacLeod was attempting to be funny, the fact is that what the Provincial government is doing to artists in Ontario is anything but. We thought that by engaging directly with her, we could make a difference. However, based on Ms. MacLeod's mischaracterization of the purpose of our meeting and her misrepresentation of the government's "support" for the OMF, we realize that our appeal has likely fallen on deaf ears."

"For the record, we do NOT support the Ford administration and what they are doing to the arts," the band concluded. "And we're very happy with our current drummer, Lisa."

On Twitter, fellow Can-rocker Danko Jones noted that the photo was "more proof Doug Ford and his cronies are mid-level goofy villains."

MacLeod took over the Ontario government's Tourism, Culture & Sport portfolio after she was demoted in a cabinet shuffle this past June. The minister had previously drawn ire from parents across the province for her handling of the autism file as minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Billy Talent's most recent album was 2016's Afraid of Heights. You can read the band's complete statement below.
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