SASKATOON – Is it time to update our national anthem to make it more gender neutral? That’s what Liberal MP Mauril Belanger is hoping to do.
Belanger plans to table a private member’s bill that would alter two words of the English version of O Canada, changing the second line from true patriot love “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.”
READ MORE: Liberal MP Mauril Belanger to try again for gender neutral national anthem
Belanger tabled an identical bill in the last session of Parliament; it was defeated by a vote of 144-127. Now with a liberal majority, it looks like it might pass.
He said the objective of the bill is to “pay tribute to all the women who have worked and fought to build and shape the Canada that we know today … to at long last honour their sacrifices and contributions.”
O Canada was originally composed by Calixa Lavallee in 1880, with French lyrics by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. It took about 20 years for the song to surface in English Canada, where various versions of the lyrics were tried out.
Our current English translation was adopted in 1980, when it was declared our national anthem. The original French lyrics remain unchanged.
Our Breakfast Buzz question today, do you think we should make the national anthem more gender neutral?
Be sure to comment with your thoughts and watch Global Saskatoon Morning News at 7:55 a.m. CT to see if we pull up your comment.
With files from the Canadian Press
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