Well ahead of the scheduled release for his upcoming album, No Excuses, Ryan Hillier felt compelled to address a topic weighing heavily on Canada right now with the immediate release of “Won’t Get Far.” The song challenges the RCMP’s treatment of the protestors from the Wet’suwet’en Nation, and the prolonged history behind it, as well as our identity as Canadians, and the roll that musicians and artists have in providing and shaping that narrative.
As matters come to a head in British Columbia, with protesters blocking access construction sites for the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline and disrupting rail service from coast to coast, it should bring to mind one very large question: what kind of country do we, as Canadians, want to live in?
Naturally, there are several more smaller, often uncomfortable, questions contained therein, but let’s presume we can start there and work backwards. Undeniably, it is still the tail end of a much larger problem.
Hillier describes it best in his own words, as he explains how “Won’t Get Far” came into being two years ago, and why it’s even more relevant today.
“I wrote this song in the aftermath of the acquittal of Gerald Stanley for the killing of Colten Boushie,” says Hillier. “That was in February of 2018 and sadly, it seems that two years later we are still no closer to meaningful reconciliation with the Indigenous community. As the RCMP removes the Wet’suwet’en people from their land by force, we are in fact creating further divisions and suffering. I believe we as Canadians, we as artists, we as human beings have an obligation to question the foundational forces that govern our lives today. To stand up & speak in defense of those who are willing to stand against those forces in the name protecting future generations. Protecting the land. Protecting the water. If someone stands for me, I will stand for them.
I can’t separate my art from my humanity. They are one & the same. If we remain afraid to speak, and to continue our lives as if we will be able to have it all, without risking the safety of our privilege, then we are giving space to those who would take everything from us, and from others.
Solidarity with all land defenders & allies. Justice for Colten. Justice for Tina. Justice for Candace Stevens.
With hope for a brighter tomorrow.
I hope you enjoy this music, and that it gives you what it has given to me.”
Ryan Hillier’s album, No Excuses, is expected to be release later this summer.