Music

House of Commons votes to make 'O Canada' lyrics gender neutral

by Richard Howard

Terminally ill MP Mauril Belanger was present yesterday to see his bill which seeks to make the Canadian national anthem gender neutral pass in the House of Commons. In its third and final reading, the House voted 225-74 in support of Bill C-210, which will see the line “in all thy sons command” changed to “in all of us command.”

Liberal MPs stood and applauded their colleague during the vote, which was followed by an impromptu rendition of “O Canada” including the revised line. The bill is expected to pass in the Senate; however, it’s not certain whether Belanger will live to see it enacted. The MP is suffering from a particularly aggressive case of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) which has progressed rapidly since his diagnosis last fall, and the bill may not be sent to the Senate until Parliament returns from its summer recess.

The proposed change has sparked a passionate debate both amongst the public and in the House, where Conservatives argue Canadians haven’t been properly consulted about the change. Its proponents have pointed out that the line originally read “thou dost in us command,” and was only changed in 1913, presumably to honour the men preparing to fight in World War I. In 2010, the Conservatives attempted to resurrect the original line, but dropped the idea in the face of strong public opposition.

[h/t CTV News]