Why these two Canadian artists are joining the Kennedy Center protest

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump fired Kennedy Center chair David Rubinstein and the board of trustees, so that he could take over as chair of the institution instead.

Since the announcement, multiple speakers and performers who were booked prior to the ouster have pulled out of their events at the venue in protest of the change, even though the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center would be a career highlight for many artists.   

Today on Commotion, Métis singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume and Canadian best-selling author Louise Penny talk to guest host Rad Simonpillai about why they chose to cancel their appearances at the prestigious venue.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Rad: Louise, you said the opportunity at the Kennedy Center would have been a career highlight. So why did you decide to pull out? 

Louise: Well, you know, I'm not going to go through the litany of all the reprehensible things that Mr. Trump has done. I think we're all aware of it. Suffice it to say that I think the man is a menace. And to do an event in a venue where he has essentially orchestrated a coup would be to pretty much appear to be complicit, to support what it is he's done not only there, but elsewhere. I wish I could say that it was a decision that I struggled over, but it wasn't. There was no decision tree at all. There was absolutely no doubt that it was the only thing I could do. 

Rad: Amanda, let's set aside what you would have earned from it or what you would have spent to make the show happen. What has the cost of cancelling this show been for you? Like, what are you giving up? 

Amanda: I don't know that it's cost me anything at this point, because I think that doing the performance would have cost me more, even emotionally and spiritually. Aside from the financial things I've already spent to try to go and work in America, I think that I've actually gained more. I think this is the time where we need to be aligning with our values. It's more important than ever. To me, that's worth everything.

This is the most important time I think even as Canadians in Canada, let alone what's going on south of the border, to come together with like-minded people. We can make a difference even if it feels sometimes like we can't. Anytime I do a concert, you know, those people that come to those shows, we're gathering together, and there's strength and connection in that. I think that this is a really beautiful thing that we can do. Even when we feel like we can't make the biggest difference, you know, we can. It happens in those community-based places. 

Rad: Louise, I know you said that you've already culled your followers with a previous book, but do you find in your recent actions you're finding more community in that same way as well? 

Louise: Yeah, I do. I think that there is, as Amanda said, a yearning for a sense that we're not alone, that we are not a voice in the wilderness, that we have people around us. We have people who agree with us. And there's just huge strength in that…. Someone once told me about what gorillas do when they're attacked, and they see a threat coming toward them and they go forward. But as they're going forward to meet the challenge, they're reaching out to make sure they're not alone. And I think that's what's happening here. We're each individually going forward, but we need to know that we're not alone — and we're not. I know that goodness will prevail. I know that decency will prevail. But we have to take chances. We have to speak out.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jess Low and Nikky Manfredi.