(Victoria) Canadian music legend Neil Young made a surprise appearance at a rally Saturday to protest logging of mature trees outside of the British Columbia legislature.
Posted at 11:01 p.m
Dirk Meissner The Canadian Press
Neil Young played acoustic guitar and harmonica and sang two songs: Comes A Time, which includes a chorus about tall trees, and his hit Heart of Gold.
Neil Young, who was announced as a “special guest”, was not on the list of attendees at the event, which saw amazed protesters, many dressed as trees and wild animals, clapping frantically and singing Heart of Gold.
“Thank you Canada,” said Neil Young. You know I’m just here for the trees up there and it’s beautiful. There is something precious and sacred about these ancient trees, for they show us the power of nature when we are threatened. They show us the past and they show us our future. »
“I hope that our Canadian government and businesses realize that this has something to do with Canada,” he said. It has to do with age if we are blessed with old age. These trees have endured long enough to deserve Canada’s respect. »
Earlier this month, the BC government introduced new timber resource management approaches to protect more mature trees from logging.
Prime Minister David Eby said the number of deferred deforestation areas is higher than ever.
Wastewood deferral is a British Columbia government program whereby areas of wastewood designated for logging are postponed to a later date or not logged at all.
The carryover of old logging now stands at 2.1 million hectares, up from 1.7 million hectares in last spring’s report, Eby said.
Neil Young was introduced by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, who said the cold weather was giving him a mild brain freeze.
“Despite the complexity, the necessary and simple answer is do no harm,” she said. No more destruction. Love, support and respect your elders. »
“Please support a different kind of senior, your fellow Canadian from small town Ontario. »
The hundreds of people at the rally cheered loudly as Neil Young, who appeared out of the blue, took the stage and started playing his harmonica.
In the crowd were many people dressed up as elements of the forest, including trees, bears, owls, and frogs.