Arkells Use Junos Win To Give Space For Jeremy Dutcher To Finish Speech

Jeremy Dutcher was giving a passionate acceptance speech at the Juno Awards pre-telecast, including a message to the prime minister about reconciliation, when he was played off the stage.

But in one of the night's most electric moments, he would get a second chance to finish, thanks to the Arkells rock band.

As winner of best Indigenous music album, Dutcher briefly thanked his team, his mother, and his fellow nominees before telling Justin Trudeau: "A nation-to-nation relationship does not look like pipelines.

"A nation-to-nation relationship does not look like sending militarized police force into unceded territory and a nation-to-nation relationship does not look like, in 2019, our communities still on boiled-water advisory."

As he continued past his allotted speech time at the gala awards dinner in London, Ont., the show's producers played music to cut him off.

Later in the evening, the Arkells won best rock album for "Rally Cry" and the band from Hamilton, Ont. took to the stage to accept the award.

"There's been so much wisdom shared on the stage tonight, but our friend Jeremy didn't get a chance to finish," Arkells singer Max Kerman told the crowd, as he brought Dutcher to the podium. "So he's going to finish tonight as he should."

"This is what holding space looks like," Dutcher responded, taking to the mic.

"As I was saying ... Reconciliation, it's a lofty goal. It's a dream," said Dutcher, who is a trained operatic singer and was raised partly in the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick.

"It doesn't happen in a year. It takes time. It takes stories. It takes shared experience. It takes music. I have hope, I have to that we can come to the right relations with each other."

Some powerful words from Indigenous Music Album of the Year winner Jeremy Dutcher here in his post-award Q&A. He's also performing tomorrow night.
"Our music does deserve to be on these stages and be seen." #LdnOnt#Junospic.twitter.com/yXrRFLTn9f

— Megan Stacey (@MeganatLFPress) March 17, 2019

Dutcher won his Juno Saturday for "Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa," which also netted him last year's Polaris Music Prize.

The Arkells, who now own five Juno Awards, are also nominated as Group of the Year, which will be announced at the televised Junos on Sunday.

With a file from The Canadian Press

Previously from HuffPost Canada:

• Indigenous Rap Group With Best Name Smashes Stereotypes
• Meet Jeremy Dutcher. His Wolastoq-Language Album Just Won The Polaris Prize.
• Gord Downie Uses Tragically Hip Concert To Spur Trudeau On First Nations