Albertans Angry at Canadian Singer Neil Young for Speaking Against Oil Sands

YouTube/NeilYoung TarSands

Canadian singer Neil Young spoke against the country's oil sands on Sunday at a news conference in Toronto before the kicked off for the first of four concerts on his Honor the Treaties tour.

The 68-year-old singer, known for hit songs like Heart of Gold, accused Canada of trading integrity for money, which he said is embarrassment to any Canadian.

He said, quoted by the Edmonton Journal, "I want my grandchildren to grow up and see a blue sky and have dreams that their children are going to do great things. And I don't see that today in Canada. I see a government that is completely out of control."

A number of Canadians, especially from the province of Alberta where the bulk of the oil sands field are located, criticised the singer through Twitter.

Mr Young toured the oil sands in September together with another celebrity and environmental activist, actress Daryl Hannah. He then compared the landscape of northern Alberta to Japan's Hiroshima, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb during World War II.

"It's the greediest, most destructive and disrespectful demonstration of just something run amok that you could ever see," the musician said.

His four shows are in support of the Athabasca Chipewuyan First Nation legal Defence to battle the oil companies and the Canadian government. The next three stops of his tour are in Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall on Jan 16, Regina's Conexus Art Centre on Jan 17 and Calgary's Jack Singer Concert Hall on Jan 19.

In response to Mr Young's harsh words, Kevin Zahara, the press secretary to Alberta Environment Minister Robin Campbell, said the province has spearheaded initiatives in North America to cut greenhouse gas emissions and it is spending heavily on newer and cleaner technology.

Mr Zahara said, "Managing our environment is not just one policy in isolation - Alberta's holistic approach balances environmental protection with economic development ... Alberta has in place an integrated resource management system that takes into account all activities on the land."