Canadian National Anthem Revised With Gender-Neutral Language

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Updated at 10:10 p.m. ET

The Canadian national anthem is now more gender-neutral, after a bill that changes the lyrics passed the country's Senate.

The second line of "O Canada," which has said the nation inspires patriotism "in all thy sons," will now read "in all of us."

This has been in the works for a long time. According to the CBC, "Since 1980, when O Canada officially became the country's anthem, 12 bills have been introduced in the House to strip the gendered reference to 'sons,' which some have argued is discriminatory."

The bill's supporters are thrilled, such as Independent Ontario Sen. Frances Lankin, who sponsored the bill. She tells the broadcaster: "I'm very, very happy. There's been 30 years plus of activity trying to make our national anthem, this important thing about our country, inclusive of all of us. ... This may be small, it's about two words, but it's huge ... we can now sing it with pride knowing the law will support us in terms of the language. I'm proud to be part of the group that made this happen."

This bill was introduced in the House of Commons in early 2016 and passed there in June of that year. It was the "dying wish of Liberal MP Mauril Belanger," the Canadian press reports. "Belanger pushed the legislation for years, but it took on far greater urgency after he was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, following the 2015 federal election."

But it has faced significant opposition in the Senate. The bill that passed is primarily composed of sheet music of the anthem.

It will become law following a formal royal assent, the Canadian press reports. Some conservative opponents of the bill are critical of the way it was passed. Lankin "introduced a controversial motion in the Senate Tuesday evening that would effectively shut down debate and immediately move to a vote on the bill," reports the CBC.

Interestingly, "O Canada" actually started out as a gender-neutral song. According to The New York Times, the second line was originally "True patriot love thou dost in us command." It's not clear why, or at what point, the lyric was changed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it "another positive step towards gender equality."

Francophones aren't changing their version of the anthem. As the National Post points out, the French lyrics take a much different approach from the English ones. The newspaper gives this English translation:</s>Canada's national anthem is set to become gender neutral after a 30-year battle by campaigners.

Senators passed legislation on Wednesday to change the second line of the anthem from 'in all thy sons command' to 'in all of us command' to become more inclusive. Once the legislation is approved by the governor general it will become law.

But the move has been deeply controversial, with some mocking the decision for being too 'politically correct' and lacking 'perspective', and others seeing it as an important step towards equality.

This is the 12th bill to attempt to alter O Canada since it was made the country's anthem in 1980. But until now, they have always been defeated by Conservatives.

But on Wednesday, Liberal and Independent Canadian senators took advantage of a Conservative boycott so the bill passed almost unanimously.

This latest bill was proposed in 2016 by late Liberal lawmaker Mauril Belanger, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and did not live to see it become law.

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrated the news, tweeting: 'Mauril's bill to make O Canada gender neutral passed third reading in the Senate tonight - another positive step towards gender equality. #inallofuscommand.'

The step was also welcomed by The Handmaiden's Tale author Margaret Attwood who thanked the Senate for finally passing the bill.

But many more were outraged over what they claim in 'political correctness gone too far'.

Others argued it simply wasn't an issue that needed to change.

''I wish 'O Canada' didn't say all thy sons command and was gender neutral'

‏Others insisted they would continue to sing the 1980s version, regardless of the changes.

'SorryNotSorry but I am NOT changing the way I sing O Canada,' another Twitter user tweeted.

One person who was delighted with the news was Ontario Senator Frances Lankin, who sponsored the bill.

'I'm very, very happy,' she told CBC. 'There's been 30 years plus of activity trying to make our national anthem, this important thing about our country, inclusive of all of us.

'This may be small, it's about two words, but it's huge… we can now sing it with pride knowing the law will support us in terms of the language.

'I'm proud to be part of the group that made this happen.

In fact, the change from 'all thy sons command' to 'in all of us command' is a return to the 1908 English version, written by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and recorder with the City of Montreal.

'In all of us command' was only changed after the First World War allegedly in an attempt to boost war efforts and at a time when the women's suffragette movement was still highly controversial.

However, at that time the British national anthem of God Save the King, and later God Save the Queen was the official anthem in Canada. O Canada wasn't formally adopted as the country's sole anthem until 1980.

The song was originally written in French by Adolphe-Basile Routhier in 1880 and called Chant National.

It was adapted into English in several different translations, but Weir's became the most popular and his version is the basis of the shortened one sung today.

Still, it went through many more changes before the National Anthem Act was passed unanimously by the Senate and the House of Commons on June 27, 1980, writing it into law.</s>'O Canada,' the country's national anthem since 1980, will now become more women-friendly afterThe gender debate truly reached a new level as the Canadian Senate adopted a bill on Wednesday to amend the second line of the national anthem from "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."The bill, introduced by Liberal MP Mauril Belanger, maintains that changing the lyrics of the English version would make it "gender-neutral."Now, the bill must receive the royal assent of the Governor General - the representative of the British monarch in Canada - in order to officially become law.The current wording of 'O Canada' has existed since 1908, when poet Robert Stanley Weir translated the French lyrics. Since then, the lyrics have been changed twice.This did not sit well with some Canadian MPs who sought to introduce bills dropping the gendered "sons" reference 12 times since 1980 - without success until now, according to CBS.Over several decades, there have been other attempts to amend nearly every line of Canada's short anthem. In the early 1990s, Toronto City Council proposed that the words "our home and native land" should be changed to "our home and cherished land," arguing that non-native Canadians may feel discriminated and stigmatized.Also, religious references - namely, the English line "God keep our land glorious and free" and the French words "true cross" - have been criticized by secularist groups.Gender has increasingly become a policy issue since the current liberal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took power. Last summer, Canadian immigration authorities announced the provision of a third gender option on the country's IDs and immigration documents.Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be the first government agency to introduce interim measures that will allow passport holders to cite the 'X' gender. This solution will remain in place until the IRCC can print IDs and travel documents with the new designation.Last July, Canada's British Columbia issued the first-ever 'unknown' gender identity health card to an eight-month-old baby after the child's parent fought to raise the infant with a neutral gender.</s>Canada's Senate has passed a bill to make the country's national anthem gender neutral.

The legislation to change "O Canada" won its final approval with the Senate vote. The bill changes the second line of the anthem from "true patriot love, in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."

The bill had stalled in the Senate as the opposition Conservatives fought its passage, but it won Senate approval on a voice vote Wednesday.

The change was proposed by late Liberal lawmaker Mauril Belanger, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and did not live to see it become law.

The unelected senate usually rubber-stamps legislation passed by the House of Commons.</s>Canada’s Senate has voted to make the country’s national anthem gender-neutral, ending decades of efforts to replace the phrase “all thy sons” with “all of us.”

A date for the change will be set once the nation’s governor general gives her expected “royal assent.” The House passed the bill in 2016.

The fiercely debated legislation officially changes the opening lyrics of “O Canada” from: “O Canada! / Our home and native land! / True patriot love in all thy sons command” to: “True patriot love in all of us command.”

Since 1980, when “O Canada” became the nation’s anthem, 12 bills have been introduced in the House to replace the word “sons.”

“I’m very, very happy,” the bill’s Senate sponsor, Independent Ontario Sen. Frances Lankin, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “There’s been 30 years-plus of activity trying to make our national anthem, this important thing about our country, inclusive of all of us. This may be small — it’s about two words — but it’s huge.”

Passing the measure fulfilled the dying wish of Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who was a member of the House when the bill he introduced passed there. Bélanger, who was diagnosed in 2015 with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, died two months after the vote. He had long argued that the change “would ensure that more than 18 million Canadian women are included in our national anthem.”

But an 18-month debate in the Senate was acrimonious, and conservative members lashed the bill’s passage Wednesday.

The anthem was written in 1908 as gender-neutral. Sometime before World War I, songwriter Robert Stanley Weir changed “thou dost in us command” to “in all thy sons command,” according to the CBC.

Canadians were passionate on both sides, as well as about other proposed modifications to the anthem. Letters last year to Trudeau, obtained by HuffPost Canada, objected to “O Canada, our home and native land,” which seems to ignore immigrants. The suggestion? “O Canada, our ... cherished land.” Others pointed out that it’s only truly native land for indigenous people, and suggested changing the lyrics to “O Canada, our home on native land.”</s>A bill to make the anthem gender neutral passed in Senate Jan. 31, but is not yet law

Bill C-210, an act to change the national anthem to be more “gender neutral,” passed it’s third reading in Senate on Jan. 31.

The bill had overwhelming support, with 225 votes in favour and only 74 votes against.

The bill will change the wording of “O Canada” to be gender inclusive by removing the word sons from the line “In all thy sons command” in the English version of the song.

Instead, the bill recommends the wording be changed to: “In all of us command.”

The third reading of the bill was passed at 5:42 p.m. EST, however the bill is not yet law. Bill C-210 will not be treated as law until such time as it receives royal assent from the Governor General.

According to the now retired senator, Nancy Ruth, who is a sponsor the private member bill, Senate has always thought about changing the words to be gender neutral.

“The English national anthem that we currently sing was proclaimed into force on July 1, 1980… Not surprisingly, given the times, both MPs and senators — including Senator Joyal — objected to the words “thy sons.” A promise was made to consider these words at a later time. Well, this is the later time,” Ruth said in her speech to Senate during the second reading.

Since the national anthem was adopted in 1980 there have been 11 previous bills to change the wording, to be gender neutral.

It should also be noted the song has been changed before. What is now the national anthem was originally written in 1908 by Judge Robert Stanley Weir, and set to a French song from the 1800s. It is documented the poem by Weir was changed in 1903 from “thou dost in us command” to “in all thy sons command.”

“To sum up, of the nine lines in the English version of O Canada adopted in 1980, only four reflect the original wording. The other five lines have been changed, one of them twice,” Ruth explained.

Ruth also cited a national poll that showed 62 per cent of Canadians wanted to change the anthem to be more inclusive.

Changing the words of the English version of the song is said to better show the values of Canadians.

“Indeed, reflecting our values is fundamental to the job description of a national anthem. It is, as essence, a key statement about who we are, what we stand for, and who we want to be,” said Ruth.

Independent Ontario Sen. Frances Lankin told reporters after the reading she was proud to be a part of the group that brought the bill into being.

She called the change small in the series of things, as it is only two words, but considered it to be a huge change in the representation of the country.

“Our major national symbol, the anthem we sing with pride about our country, and we can now sing it with pride knowing the law will support us in terms of the language,” Lankin said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter after the vote to share the news, which he called another step in the right direction.

While the vast majority voted in favour of the bill, there were still 74 senators opposed. And there are many who share this viewpoint, calling the change “nonsensical” a “bastardization”.

The bill was originally introduced by Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who died in 2016. Former senator Ruth also submitted a similar bill roughly 10 years ago.</s>A bill to make Canada’s familiar national anthem less sexist is one step closer to passage.

The Canadian national Senate late Wednesday gave its final approval to a bill that would change the “O Canada” to make it gender-neutral and more inclusive, sponsors say.

The second line of the anthem, composed in 1880 but the official national anthem only since 1980, now reads “True patriot love, in all thy sons command.” The proposed change would alter the English-language version of the text to “True patriot love, in all of us command.”

The House of Commons overwhelmingly approved the change in 2016, and the unelected Senate overcame determined opposition from some Conservative Party lawmakers to follow suit this week.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has backed the change, calling the Senate approval on Twitter “another positive step towards gender equality.”

The measure still must be approved by Canada’s governor general to become law.</s>The Canadian Senate passed a bill Wednesday to change the lyrics of its national anthem so that they will be “gender-neutral.”

The bill would replace the lyrics “in all thy sons command” with “in all of us command,” according to CBC News.

A former member of the Canadian House of Commons, Mauril Bélanger, first introduced the legislation in 2016.

Twelve bills have been introduced in the House in order to change the lyrics from what many have argued is discriminatory language.

None of these bills, that sought to remove “sons” from the lyrics, were able to successfully pass the House until Wednesday. “O Canada” became the country’s official anthem in 1980.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also voiced his support of the proposed change after it passed the Senate Wednesday.

“Mauril’s bill to make O Canada gender neutral passed third reading in the Senate tonight – another positive step towards gender equality. #inallofuscommand,” Trudeau tweeted.

“I’m very, very happy. There’s been 30 years plus of activity trying to make our national anthem, this important thing about our country, inclusive of all of us,” Ontario Sen. Frances Lankin said, CBC News reported. “I’m proud to be part of the group that made this happen.”

Other Conservative senators and lawmakers, however, don’t think Canada’s Parliament should be allowed to alter a song whose words were written many years ago and whose author can have no say.

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Lawmakers were angry that Sen. Don Plett, who was a long time critic of the measure, didn’t have an opportunity to speak against the motion.

“When a majority of individuals decide to shut down discourse in this place, democracy dies,” Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos said. “We need to be very wary of tools that muzzle debate.”

The bill to amend Canada’s national anthem will now head to Governor General Julie Payette’s desk to be signed into law.

The 123rd Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., also recently passed a trifecta of resolutions to replace all gendered pronouns referring to God with gender-neutral pronouns, oppose laws against illegal immigration, and open traditionally gender restricted congregational roles and facilities, like bathrooms, to transgender individuals.

Diocesan delegate Rev. Linda R. Calkins urged the diocese to consider adopting the “The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation,” that removes all gender-specific pronouns for God from scripture.

A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>The Canadian Senate has passed a bill that changes the text of the English-language version of the national anthem to make it gender-neutral.

It now awaits royal assent by the governor general to become law.

The move is set to change the words "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command" in the anthem, O Canada.

The private member's bill from 2016 had stalled in the Senate as Conservatives fought its passage, but it won approval on a voice vote on Wednesday.

The fight to change two words in the lyrics of O Canada has stirred a passionate debate.

A similar plan was rejected in 2010 by the Conservatives, who then held the majority in parliament.

The new bill was first introduced in 2016 by Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and who died later that year.

Since 1980, when O Canada officially became the country's anthem, 12 bills had been introduced in the House to strip the reference to "sons", but all attempts had failed until now, CBC reports.

A group of women including author Margaret Atwood and former Prime Minister Kim Campbell who launched a new campaign in 2013 to have the changes implemented said at the time a revision to O Canada's lyrics would "encapsulate the equality of all Canadians".

But not all Canadians welcomed the changes.

The song was first performed in 1880, with several different versions of the lyrics emerging in the coming years, according to Canadian Heritage.

Originally composed with French lyrics, O Canada became the country's national anthem in 1980.

The English version of the song at one point contained the line "thou dost in us command", which was revised in 1913 to "in all thy sons command".</s>On Wednesday, the Canadian Senate passed bill C-210, which aims to change the lyrics in “O Canada,” the Canadian national anthem, to make it gender-neutral. The bill had first been introduced in the Senate in June 2016.

The bill was introduced as a private member’s bill by member of Parliament Mauril Belanger; he is no longer a member of the Canadian Parliament as he died in 2016 after fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The bill stipulates that the lyric, “True patriot love in all thy sons command” be altered to “True patriot love in all of us command.” – READ MORE

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The Canadian government, worried that Salvadorans will flood across the border into Canada to avoid deportation, is now trying to discourage them from crossing into the country — as thousands of Haitians did last year after they were threatened with the loss of similar protection.

“The government announced that it was planning to send Pablo Rodriguez, a Spanish-speaking member of Parliament, to California in the coming days to speak to community groups, lawyers and Spanish-language media,” the Miami Herald reported. “His message is simple: If you don’t qualify for refugee or asylum status, don’t try to cross into Canada.” – READ MORE
The Canadian Senate agrees with the House of Commons to make the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", gender neutral. The second line of the song will now read "in all of us" instead of "in all thy sons."