EDITORIAL – Nothing wrong with changing words to O Canada
Canadian flag goes up at Winter Olympics.
An ArmchairMayor.ca editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
THE PYEONGCHANG Winter Olympics are well underway, and Canada has already won a few medals. In celebration, our athletes are singing the new words to our national anthem.
In case you missed it, O Canada has a new second line. Instead of, “in all thy sons command,” it’s “in all of us command.”
A poll on the Armchair Mayor website showed 56 per cent of those responding intend to continue singing O Canada the old way.
I have no trouble with the change, myself. Nothing wrong with gender neutrality, though I’m mildly surprised that Justin didn’t insist on “in peoplekind command.”
Either way, the song doesn’t make sense. How does a home and native land command anything, especially true patriot love?
Mel Rothenburger’s Armchair Mayor editorials appear twice daily Mondays through Thursdays on CFJC- TV. His Armchair Mayor column is published Saturdays on ArmchairMayor.ca and CFJC Today. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
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I don’t think our anthem’s use of “command” is as a verb. It is a noun, more common in military use, and largely missed by those who never served. I think it’s a reference to those in the command of “thy son.’ Perhaps that’s the reason for changing it more than the politically correct issue of gender-neutrality.
I like the preservation of tradition and heritage and dislike the obliteration of same for the sake of constantly evolving modernity.
But then, it’s not a derelict building, so maybe it doesn’t count.
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If that’s the case, shouldn’t it be sons’ or son’s?
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