This Modification in the National Canadian Anthem Will Make It More Gender-Neutral
The Canadian National Anthem is on its way to experience a change once a new bill is adopted.
According to multiple reports, the Canadian Parliament is going to amend the English version of its anthem in order to make it more gender neutral. The change is supported by the Liberal Government, which passed two readings in the House of Commons.
The change was then sent to the Heritage Committee, who referred it back to Commons for a third reading. If the reading passes again, the amendment is expected to head to the Senate and will be implemented later this year. The change would change one of the verses from "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."
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The New Democrat MP Christine Moore explained, "We are in 2016. The Canadian population will understand why we want to make the change. It is not a big change, and there will not be a big difference in the national anthem, but the difference is significant for women all across Canada."
However, not all MPs were willing to amend the lyrics. Conservative MP Peter Van Loan said, "It is tragic that this is being done in a fashion where Canadians are being shut out. Their national anthem is being changed. They have been singing it for decades, millions of Canadians. It belongs to them, it is not a plaything of us. We are telling Canadians, 'Guess what, you don't have a say in your national anthem. It belongs to us as politicians ... for us to deliver our worldview to you and impose it upon you.'"
This is not the first time for the Canadian Nation Anthem to go through changes. The original lyrics, which were in French, was written in 1880. Since then, the English version, developed in 1906, and French version were used by French and English citizens. The English lyrics for "O Canada" were written by Robert Stanely Weird. Since then, the lyrics were already changed twice.
In 1914, the line "Our home, our native land, true patriot love thou dost in us command," was changed to "in all they sons command." This change was meant to uplift the First World War soldiers.
