"O Canada '' (French: Ô Canada) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint - Jean - Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which, words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe - Basile Routhier. The lyrics were originally in French; an English version was created in 1906. Robert Stanley Weir wrote in 1908 another English version, which is the official and most popular version, one that is not a literal translation of the French. Weir 's lyrics have been revised three times, most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender) was enacted in 2018, but the French lyrics remain unaltered. "O Canada '' had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming Canada 's national anthem in 1980 when the Act of Parliament making it so received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year 's Dominion Day (now known as Canada Day) celebrations.
when was the last time the canadian anthem was changed
2018