WARMINGTON: Bryan Adams speaks straight from heart to PM on Bill C-11

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For Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, this was criticism that cuts like a knife.

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It’s not lost on him or anybody in Canada when it’s rock ’n’ roll legend Bryan Adams calling him out on Canadian artists being discriminated against in new legislation – it’s coming straight from the heart.

“Hey Justin Trudeau, music is global, and the rules need to change with the times,” the Canadian star said in a video he posted to X on Thursday.

Adams wants the Liberal government to stop this thing they started.

The Vancouver icon has been one of Canada’s biggest musical exports since he came onto the scene in the 1980s and has drawn attention to this issue in the past when he and others were victims of Canadian content rules for radio and music video television because they worked with American, British or other international writers.

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“I spoke out on this issue 30 years ago” and “I believe it’s time to pick up the fight again,” he said.

Adams says the same sort of thing is happening again with the proposed Bill C-11 Online Streaming Act to modernize music and entertainment and information as it gets streamed in the modern way of platforming content.

But the star says the new rules are forgetting about artists like him who may work th people from other countries.

In the past, Adams has worked on famous albums and songs with the likes of Americans Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand and The Boss Bruce Springsteen, South African Mutt Lange, and British stars Sting and Rod Stewart, and he feels there should be no punishment for that.

While the intention is “to make sure that Canadian artists get a fair share on radio and on streaming,” Adams warns, “the government has rules on what defines Canadian and if an artist decides to work with collaborators from other countries, then those songs might not be considered Canadian” and “if those songs are not Canadian enough, they might not be prioritized on streaming services.”

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Adams is reminding Trudeau and the Liberals that, like them, he’s a proud Canadian. But one who is being marginalized for working with non-Canadians.

“I was born in Canada,” Adams said. “And in the same way that Canada is a multicultural society, I have travelled and recorded music with musicians and producers from around the world. But apparently that’s not good enough for the Canadian government.”

“They want to penalize artists for this multiculturalism,” he said.

Ouch.

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The superstar of such classics as The Summer of 69, Heaven, Run to You and Everything I Do, I Do It For You, One Night Love Affair and Back to You is not just waking up the neighbours with this post but also the Canadian government. It’s one thing to take a shot from Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre. But when it comes to Canadian entertainment, Adams is a somebody.

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“Bryan’s been relentless on this, for a decade,” his fellow Canadian song-writing partner Jim Vallance said. “Not much success so far. Gotta hand it to him.  He’s not a quitter.”

It didn’t take long for the government to respond.

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge went to Adams on X saying she’s a “big fan” and “don’t worry” because “this modernized system being implemented by the CRTC won’t prioritize certain Canadian artists or songs” but “it just helps create more music in Canada.”

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She also offered Adams the opportunity to participate in helping “shape” what “CanCon” looks like going forward since “we’re helping to support the generation of Bryan Adams in succeeding here and around the world, but we still need the original too.”

St. Onge also posted that “big global companies profit a lot in Canada and can contribute more to making Canadian music.”

“Thanks for your passion for Canadian music success around the world – our government shares that,” she added.

So far, Adams hasn’t responded, so it’s unclear if he’s on cloud number nine about her post or feels she and the Trudeau Liberals are just being reckless.

Back to you Bryan.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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