Gord Downie praised by Indigenous leaders, fans – The Globe and Mail
On an August night of last year, with the country’s eyes upon him and his terminal illness weighing like a stone, Gord Downie had a message for Canadians: It is time to address the hardships of Canada’s First Peoples.
Mr. Downie, the astute poet who translated the Canadian experience into song, spent much of his final year channelling his waning energies to the Indigenous cause.
In a solo album released five months after Canada learned he was dying of brain cancer, the Tragically Hip frontman musically recounted the lonely death of a boy who ran away from an Indian residential school. He was opening a national conversation about reconciliation.
First Nations leaders say they were at first startled by Mr. Downie’s interest. And then, they say, they were grateful for the recognition he was bringing to the plight of their people.
