Editorial — Our national anthem remains a work in progress
TUESDAY EDITORIAL — The latest changes proposed for our national anthem, like so many others, appear doomed to failure.
Oh…. Canada eh.
Ottawa-Vanier MP Mauril Belander has submitted a private Member’s bill that would change “In all thy sons command” to “In all of us command.”
The Conservatives say they will vote to defeat it. Other leaders say it should be discussed further but are uncertain about sending it to a committee to be examined. The changes are well-intentioned — make the national anthem gender neutral.
Not everybody sees the need; some suggest we should stick with tradition, leaving the original words alone. A few weeks ago, a Toronto City councilor proposed the same change. In 2010, the Conservatives themselves floated the idea of a more gender-neutral anthem but backed off in the face of public opposition.
It’s worth noting that the anthem is not immune to change. “Thy sons” weren’t the original words at all. The first version in 1908 was “Thou dost in us command, later changed to “all thy sons command.”
Several other changes were made over the years, while some attempts have failed. For example, “our home and native land” remains while the alternative “our home and cherished land” remains an idea.
It seems O Canada will always be a work in progress. There’s nothing wrong with discussing changes to the words, and nothing wrong with change itself if and when we reach consensus.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
There is one more line that should be changed.
“God keep our land….” should be changed to reflect the parties actually responsible for keeping our land “glorious and free”. The line should be changed to “we keep our land…”.
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