It looks as if we are back at the business of changing the lyrics of our national anthem, not only to reflect its original intentions, but who we are as Canadians today.
Nearly two years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper bowed to public pressure and went back on his promise to alter the lyrics of O Canada, a group of prominent Canadian women, including former prime minister Kim Campbell, author Margaret Atwood and Senator Nancy Ruth, is taking up the fight again. So what’s the big deal? Let’s do it.
As far as I can tell, their case is simple, and eminently reasonable: In the 1908 version of O Canada, the English lyrics contained the words “true patriot love thou dost in us command,” which in 1913, were changed to “in all thy sons command” for no discernible reason. One account has it that the words were masculinized to help recruit soldiers for the First World War, but I doubt anyone will argue that those brave young men who lined up to fight and die for their country, did so because the anthem was changed to reflect machismo.
Nearly two years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper bowed to public pressure and went back on his promise to alter the lyrics of O Canada, a group of prominent Canadian women, including former prime minister Kim Campbell, author Margaret Atwood and Senator Nancy Ruth, is taking up the fight again. So what’s the big deal? Let’s do it.
As far as I can tell, their case is simple, and eminently reasonable: In the 1908 version of O Canada, the English lyrics contained the words “true patriot love thou dost in us command,” which in 1913, were changed to “in all thy sons command” for no discernible reason. One account has it that the words were masculinized to help recruit soldiers for the First World War, but I doubt anyone will argue that those brave young men who lined up to fight and die for their country, did so because the anthem was changed to reflect machismo.