A bill to make Canada’s national anthem more gender neutral recently passed in the House of Commons.
Bill C-210, which will change the second line of the national anthem from “true patriot love, in all thy sons command” to “true patriot love, in all of us command,” still requires approval of the Senate before it becomes law— but the proposed changes aren’t striking a chord with all Canadians.
Veronica Strong-Boag, a feminist historian and professor emerita at UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, and in the department of educational studies, explains why critics of O Canada‘s new lyrics should consider changing their tune.
Why is it important that O Canada’s lyrics are gender neutral?
Anthems are symbols of our national identity, but these symbols are constructed in particular moments and are subject to change. Today, it’s important that the lyrics of our country’s national anthem adapt, not only to be gender neutral but also to be inclusive of race, religion, ethnicity and class.
Bill C-210 comes at a time of increased public interest in the issue of gender inequality, such as the recent decision to see more women on Canadian bank notes, which is a sign of larger re-thinking about Canadian national identity. In 2016, removing references from the national anthem that enshrine men as the key Canadians and ignore women is long overdue.
This isn’t the first time the issue of changing the lyrics of O Canada has come up. In 2010, the Conservative government tried to do the same but backed off after public outcry. Why do you think the public was so upset at the prospect of changing the lyrics?
Those who were opposed to changing the lyrics seem to be largely unaware of the history of O Canada. In fact, Bill C-210’s proposed change would bring the lyrics closer to one of the more gender neutral versions widely used early in the 20th century. The second line of the anthem at the time was “True patriot love thou dost in us command.” During World War I, however, that was changed to “in all thy sons command” to honour men in the armed forces. The essential war work and losses of Canadian women and girls, including military nurses, were ignored.
What impact do you think changing the lyrics of O Canada will have?
While the new lyrics will likely be heard on Canada Day, at military events and at sporting competitions, the change in words in and of itself won’t have much of an immediate impact, except for the few who know what they signify. They will, however, serve as a critical reminder that rights and citizenship evolve and that vigilance and action on behalf of human rights are critical to their maintenance.
The same issues can be seen in the debates about other commemorative practices, such as the names of historic sites and who is represented on currency and stamps. There has been some progress in Canada on these fronts, but we should always be aware of the economic, political, social, and symbolic indicators of equality. Changing the anthem is one step toward creating a fairer and more inclusive nation, and some little girls will hopefully learn that daughters are just as important as sons.