Canadian singer Matthew Good says 'big political correction' needed before he'll tour U.S. again
B.C.-born musician tells CBC he's a 'proud Canadian,' says fans supportive of decision to cancel U.S. gigs
Canadian rocker Matthew Good has cut upcoming U.S. shows from his summer tour, saying he can't support government policies and political divisions south of the border and that he's unlikely to perform in the country again until political tides turn.
Good, 54, announced the cancellations in a Facebook post on Friday morning, saying he's willing to "risk my future US career, to stand up against things today."
Since coming to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has made repeated comments about making Canada the "51st state," launched a trade war against Canada and dozens of other nations, implemented policies affecting the rights of transgender people and ordered mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
Good was due to play in Cleveland on Tuesday, Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Buffalo on Thursday, before returning to Canada to perform in Gravenhurst, Ont., on Friday.
"I'm a very proud Canadian," the Burnaby, B.C.-born singer and songwriter told Radio West guest host Brady Strachan of CBC Kelowna on Friday, hours after posting the announcement. "I think, really, the divisionism that I'm seeing in the United States is something that has really gotten to me."
He said he understands that people are entitled to different political views, but that "right now, that nation doesn't reflect the commonality that this one has."
"I think there are several things going on down there that ... I don't feel that I can economically support," said Good, who rose to fame in the 1990s with the Matthew Good Band and hits like Apparition and Hello Time Bomb.
He has performed as a solo artist since the band broke up in 2002.
Upset by trade war, tax attack
Among the sticking points for Good was Trump's tariff threats and the attack on Canada's now-scuttled digital services tax (DST), which was due to go into effect last month.
"[Canada is] backing down from that, to appease Mr. Trump's government. This was approximately two billion dollars in revenue that has been accumulating, and we're walking away from that," Good wrote in his Facebook post.
The DST was set to affect large companies that offer digital services — like online advertising or shopping — and earn more than $20 million in revenue from Canadian sources.
The three per cent levy had been in place since last year, but the first payments were due June 30. Since it was retroactive to 2022, U.S. companies were looking at a $2-billion US tax bill.
Prime Minister Mark Carney turfed the tax in a bid to continue trade talks and bring an end to the months-long tariff war that Trump initiated. But the U.S. president continued to throw the talks into turmoil.
His latest volley, on Thursday, was to threaten 35 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods on Aug. 1 — and even higher levies if Canada retaliates.
Other musicians skip U.S. over anti-trans policies
Good isn't the first Canadian artist to back away from performing in the U.S. this year.
Toronto musician Bells Larsen told followers in April he would not tour U.S. cities due to safety concerns and visa policies that discriminate against transgender people.
"I received an email on Tuesday [April 8] from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am no longer able to apply for a visa because U.S. Immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one's assigned sex at birth," Larsen posted on Instagram. "To put it super plainly, because I'm trans (and have an M on my passport), I can't tour in the States."
Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office stating the U.S. government will only recognize two genders, male and female, and that they cannot be changed.
He directed the State Department to identify U.S. passport holders by their assigned sex at birth, denying transgender and non-binary people the ability to select their gender marker.
Foreign travellers have also been warned they could be denied visas if their gender identity does not match their assigned sex at birth.
Halifax musician T. Thomason cancelled his May performance at a music festival in Maine, saying he doesn't feel safe crossing the border "as a Canadian trans guy," despite having a valid visa issued prior to Trump's inauguration in January.
Good says he also has concerns about his ability to travel to the U.S. after sharing his political stances.
He told Strachan that it's entirely possible he and his band could run into trouble crossing the border should customs agents search his phone, see his social media comments and deny him entry — something the Canadian government even warned travellers about earlier this year.
"That's one of the highest forms of censorship," he said. "It's tyrannical. There's not really another word to use."
Fans support Good's principled stance
Good said he's not afraid of any backlash, but that most of the reaction had been supportive, which was largely evident in the comments below his Facebook post.
"Buffalo, NY resident/US citizen here, who has a deep disdain for what is going here politically as well, and I totally understand and support your decision. Hope to see you back here in 3-ish years," read a comment from Mallory Czum.
"I have nothing but respect for you as an artist, but even more as a man of principle. I am an American, but I hate what this administration is doing to our relationships with our closest friends," wrote Jeff Gallagher, a fan in Portland, Ore.
Commenter Martin Prokopinski, however, criticized Good for taking a political stance.
"Absolutely the wrong thing to do. Your fans are your fans — not your political messages. Lame," Prokopinski wrote.
But Good says it would take a "pretty big political correction" for him to go back to performing in the U.S.
"I'm not sure whether it's a change in the presidency or, you know, see what happens with the mid-terms," he told CBC Radio.
"There's a lot of things that are going on down there right now that simply have to change."
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With files from Brady Strachan, Rhianna Schmunk, Darren Major and Holly Gordon