After taking aim at Canadian Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea for her stance on the seal hunt over the weekend, Morrissey felt the brunt of Shea and her office on Wednesday.
In an email to Canada.com on Wednesday, the minister replied with a lengthy message that pulled no punches.
"Since Brigitte Bardot in the 1980s, hard-working sealers in rural communities have had to deal with foreign millionaires telling them how they should live their lives," Shea wrote. "Now, the British singer Morrissey is the latest addition to the train of celebrities looking for a popularity boost from attacking the livelihoods of people who live off the bounty of the land instead of living off record sales or TV ratings."
After mentioning statistics revealing the positive economic impact the hunt has had for these communities, Shea took another shot at Morrissey.
"Mr. Morrissey and his Hollywood buddies have been brainwashed by decades of propaganda from fringe animal rights groups and radical environmentalists," she wrote. "They should take the time to actually consider the facts, or talk to the people whose lives are affected by the seal hunt, like I have on many occasions, but that might be too difficult to do from the ivory towers of Hollywood."
The National Post reports Sophie Doucet, a spokesperson in Shea's office, replied by stating Morrissey was misinformed and ignorant while echoing much of Shea's message. "Anyone who takes a careful look at the seal hunt will see that is humane, sustainable, and well-regulated," Doucet said in a statement to the publication.
The proverbial gloves came off though when Doucet continued. "This is clearly just another case of a millionaire celebrity, desperate for a hobby, shamelessly regurgitating misinformation and myths that fringe animal-rights groups have been pushing for years," Doucet said.
"In the future, I would urge Mr. Morrissey to consider the impact that his ignorant and inflammatory statements have on the livelihoods of thousands of hard-working men and women in rural communities."
Meanwhile musician Tanya Tagaq — who faced opposition earlier this month for posting a "sealfie" — reacted to Morrissey's comments as well:
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