It appears the Vancouver Canucks have fired their longtime national anthem singer in response to reports he will be singing at a rally organized by COVID-19 deniers and anti-mask advocates.
On Friday afternoon, the Vancouver Sun reported that Mark Donnelly had agreed to perform at a Saturday event in Vancouver protesting COVID-19 restrictions.
Not long after, hockey team owner Francesco Aquilini tweeted at the newspaper to request a change in the headline from “Canucks anthem singer” to “former Canucks anthem singer.”
A Canucks spokesperson confirmed the news in an email to CBC, writing, “You are safe to say his days are over.”
Hey <a href=”https://twitter.com/VancouverSun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@VancouverSun</a> change the headline to “Former Canucks anthem singer.” <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearamask?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#wearamask</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UZX5agK4pl”>https://t.co/UZX5agK4pl</a>
—@fr_aquilini
Donnelly is a fixture at home games for the Canucks, but his political views have also attracted controversy in the past.
In 2012, he sang the national anthem for an anti-abortion caravan as it passed through Vancouver.