© 1992 Macleans
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SINGING THE BLUES
Margo Timmins laments lost Canada
Protest songs are making a comeback in Canada. And what issues are some Canadian performers wearing on their record sleeves in the 1990s? Instead of slamming wars in far-off places, the new songs attack the Mulroney government's economic and cultural policies. In Mighty Trucks of Midnight, Bruce Cockburn sings: "Used to have a town but the factory moved away/Down to Mexico where they work for hardly any pay." In an upcoming song called The Last Spike, singer Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies laments: "Last year they closed down the post office/Took the only flag we had in town." And Stompin' Tom Connors complains that there is not enough Canadian content on Canadian radio in a new song called No Canadian Dream. Said songwriter Michael Timmins, who writes for his sister Margo: "I just thought it would be nice to get our little two cents in."