The national anthem of Canada is gender neutral. Canada’s Senate has passed a Bill to make the country’s national anthem…
Justin Trudeau (Photo: AFP/File)
The national anthem of Canada is gender neutral. Canada’s Senate has passed a Bill to make the country’s national anthem gender-neutral.
The original version of the national anthem has a line which says, O “Canada! / Our home and native land! / True patriot love in all thy sons command.”
With the new Bill, the phrase has been changed from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.”
Advertisement
The amendment was the dying wish of Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who introduced the bill two years ago.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elated with the news as he called the move “another positive step towards gender equality”.
The House of Commons had overwhelmingly approved the change in 2016, with the ailing Belanger in the House. The long time Liberal died just over two months later.
Since 1980, when “O Canada” written by Robert Stanley Weir officially became the country’s anthem, 12 bills have been introduced in the House of Commons to strip the gendered reference to “sons”, which some have argued is discriminatory.
A motion from Independent Senator Frances Lankin led to a final vote on the legislation long-delayed by Conservative filibuster.
(With IANS inputs)
Advertisement
