where did the canadian national anthem come from
O Canada
`` 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 original lyrics were in French ; an English translation was published in 1906 . Multiple English versions ensued , with Robert Stanley Weir 's version in 1908 gaining the most popularity , eventually serving as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament . Weir 's lyrics have been revised three times , most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act ( gender ) was enacted in 2018 , . The French lyrics remain unaltered . `` O Canada '' had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939 , officially becoming the country 's national anthem in 1980 when Canada 's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year 's Dominion Day ( now known as Canada Day ) celebrations . 
`` 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 original lyrics were in French ; an English translation was published in 1906 . Multiple English versions ensued , with Robert Stanley Weir 's version in 1908 gaining the most popularity , eventually serving as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament . Weir 's lyrics have been revised three times , most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act ( gender ) was enacted in 2018 , . The French lyrics remain unaltered . `` O Canada '' had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939 , officially becoming the country 's national anthem in 1980 when Canada 's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year 's Dominion Day ( now known as Canada Day ) celebrations .
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.
 `` O Canada '' had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming the country's national anthem in 1980 when Canada's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day (now known as Canada Day) celebrations.
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 . `` O Canada '' had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939 , officially becoming the country 's national anthem in 1980 when Canada 's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year 's Dominion Day ( now known as Canada Day ) celebrations .