Pitchfork

Canada has free health care, legal marijuana, and state-sanctioned gay marriage, but America's free-wheeling neighbor to the north won't be getting Morrissey.

Canada's annual seal hunt has put it at odds with the king of all vegans, prompting Morrissey to refuse to tour the country in support of his forthcoming album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. In a statement on the fan site True to You, Morrissey said, "I fully realise that the absence of any Morrissey concerts in Canada is unlikely to bring the Canadian economy to its knees, but it is our small protest against this horrific slaughter."

According to Moz, the Canadian government argues that the "cull," as the hunt is called, is a sustainable, economically viable activity based on sound conservation principles, but Morrissey remains offended by "the barbaric slaughter of over 325,000 baby seals which is now underway."

He continued, "The seal population has looked after itself for thousand of years without human intervention, and, as the world knows, this slaughter is about one thing only: making money. The Canadian government will stream all of the pelts into the fashion industry and this is the reason why the baby seals are killed with spiked clubs that crush their skulls - any damage to their pelts is avoided."

Oh, life is a pigsty!

"The Canadian Prime Minister also states that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities, but this is an ignorant reason for allowing such barbaric and cruel slaughter of beings that are denied life simply because somebody somewhere might want to wear their skin. Construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone - this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering."

Uh, Morrissey? You do realize that you recently played three shows in America, where George W. Bush is President, right? And he's responsible for way worse things than killing baby seals, right? OK, just checking.

He closed his statement with the following: "If you can, please boycott Canadian goods. It WILL make a difference. As things stand, Canada has placed itself alongside China as the cruelest and most self-serving nation."

Next week, Morrissey will kick off a tour of nice, friendly, animal-loving countries like Finland, Scotland, and England, where nobody ever did anything bad.

Dates:

04-01 Gothenburg, Sweden - Scandinavium
04-02 Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
04-04 Helsinki, Finland - Cable Hall
04-06 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scen
04-10 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall
04-11 Paris, France - Olympia
04-13 Killarney, Ireland - INEC
04-15 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
04-18 Salford, England - Lowry #
04-19 Llandudno, Wales - North Wales Theatre #
04-20 Leeds, England - Town Hall #
04-22 Aberdeen, Scotland - Music Hall #
04-23 Stirling, Scotland - Albert Halls #
04-25 Dundee, Scotland - Caird Hall #
04-26 Greenock, Scotland - Town Hall #
04-27 Glasgow, Scotland - Carling Academy #
04-29 Whitehaven, England - Civic Hall #
04-30 Gateshead, England - The Sage #
05-01 London, England - Alexandra Palace #
05-03 Sheffield, England - City Hall #
05-04 Grimsby, England - Auditorium #
05-06 Manchester, England - Carling Apollo #
05-07 Manchester, England - Opera House #
05-08 Manchester, England - Bridgewater Hall *
05-10 Halifax, England - Victoria Hall *
05-11 Blackburn, England - King Georges Hall *
05-12 Liverpool, England - Philharmonic *
05-14 London, England - Palladium *
05-15 Cardiff, Wales - St David's Hall *
05-17 Reading, England - Hexagon *
05-19 Portsmouth, England - Guildhall *
05-20 Birmingham, England - Symphony Hall *
05-21 London, England - Palladium *
05-23 Truro, England - Hall For Cornwall *
05-24 Cheltenham, England - Town Hall *
05-25 Oxford, England - New Theatre *
05-27 Kings Lynn, England - Corn Exchange *
05-28 London, England - Palladium *
07-20-13 Benicassim, Spain - Benicassim Festival $

* with Tiger Army
# with Sons and Daughters
$ with Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Franz Ferdinand, Madness, Pixies, Placebo, Scissor Sisters, the Strokes, Art Brut, etc.

In non-seal Morrissey news, Ringleader of the Tormentors' first single, "You Have Killed Me", was released today in the UK. It comes out tomorrow in these blissful United States. To get another taste of Ringleader, head to Rhapsody, where they're exclusively offering the album track "I Will See You in Far Off Places".