Revised Canadian anthem
Changing exactly two words in our anthem may not sound a big deal but for those slow to accept change it apparently is. This is the ailing Mr. Bélanger’s second private members bill tabled to make that small alteration in the English language version of ‘O Canada.’
He seeks to — as do I and many, many others — change the line “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.” His first private member’s bill, Bill C-624, did not make it, having been defeated by Parliament in a second reading last April, by a 144-127 count.
With voters jettisoning in the last election 67 Conservatives from 2011 — only five Conservatives voted for the change last year (stodgy folks!) — and adding 148 Liberals who, along with the NDP, have a better grasp of inclusiveness, the rewriting of the lyrics is pretty much on the wall.
The bill will easily pass.
And why we wouldn’t want to include Canadian women in the lyrics is beyond me, frankly. And don’t tell me it is because of tradition because it is not. The English version of the song we use now is farther from the original penning of it than the proposed change is; indeed, the change is in spirit the same as the original.
Origins of O Canada
Here’s the history: the song was written in 1880 in French by the judge and poet, Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, who wrote the lyrics, and Calixa Lavallée, who wrote the music. Some years later various English language versions were penned that were attempts at literal translations of the French.
But in 1908 Robert Stanley Weir, also a judge and poet, wrote a non-literal English version to go with the music and it became the more popular version and the one that became our official English language anthem in 1980, the one we know today.
Or rather almost the one we know today. In Weir’s original 1908 version he wrote “True patriot love thou dost in us command” but he changed it in 1914 to “in all thy sons command.”
Given the year it was likely an acknowledgment of so many young Canadian men heading off to fight in the First World War.
That is what the Canadian Encyclopedia cites as the reason for Weir’s decision. Taking into account the sacrifice Canadian men, and not Canadian women, were being asked to make – and all for a rather dubious reason – perhaps it’s arguable it was acceptable as a temporary tribute.
Restore OUR anthem
In any case, that’s ancient history and if the Canada of 1914, and 1980, didn’t find it necessary to include women in the anthem there’s no sense crying over the proverbial split milk. Now is now and we can correct their omission, and do so easily.
There is a website, the aptly named ‘Resore Our Anthem,’ with more views on the subject. It has photos of great Canadian women who do not feel included in our national anthem and I’ve no reason not to believe them and no reason not to join them in wanting that to change.
And here’s this: it’s not about political correctness, it’s about inclusiveness. It’s not about tearing down tradition but about helping to build a future we can all feel good about.
That’s what Mr. Bélanger and his bill intend to do and I find it incredible he’s taking the time to do this when his time is now so limited and when he is increasingly affected by his illness.
We should be grateful, no?
After all, Mr. Bélanger, 60, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the medical term for Lou Gehrig’s Disease, under three months ago. Yet already he is losing his voice from the illness, which eventually results in complete respiratory failure and death.
But he says his new private member’s bill is being tabled this month and debate on it should begin in April. He plans to be around to see it pass.
And finally, it’s pretty hard to argue with Mr. Bélanger’s reasons for advocating for the changing of two little words. He said it is about paying “tribute to all the women who have worked and fought to build and shape the Canada that we know today … to at long last honour their sacrifices and contributions.”
That’s a change we can surely command.
