National anthem catches up with the nation

The Senate voted on Jan. 31 to change the lyrics of Canada’s national anthem to make it more gender neutral. As a result, Canadians did not riot, the economy did not falter and rivers did not reverse course.

Given the resistance of a group of recalcitrant Conservative senators, observers might have anticipated any manner of dire consequences would befall the country after formally tweaking the second line of O Canada from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.”

The legislation took two years to reach this point after Liberal MP Mauril Belanger, suffering from ALS, introduced it as his dying wish. The House of Commons rightly passed the private member’s bill. That, in itself, stands as a momentous accomplishment seeing as how 12 similar bills over some 30 years all failed before it.

But despite overwhelming approval from elected Members of Parliament, the bill had languished in the upper chamber for the last 18 months, blocked by some senators who believe Parliament is wrong to tinker with an historic work of art. It took a controversial motion to shut down debate to finally get the bill passed.

In fairness, many Canadians side with those senators who believe that changing the lyrics to the anthem disrespects tradition or panders to political correctness. The pro-preservation argument is undercut by the fact that “in all thy sons command” was itself a substitution to the original, clunky but gender neutral lyrics “in thou dost us command.”

Others contend that even the changed lyrics “in all thy sons command” carry historical significance because they were added to recognize the Canadian men who fought in the First World War.

But as the song was changed then, it can be changed again. It is not a museum relic set in hardened amber but a living symbol of the country that Canadians, including women and girls, sing and hear at sporting events and occasions of celebration and commemoration. Just as we adopted a new flag to reflect Canada’s emergence as a truly independent, post-colonial nation so must our anthem adapt to reflect us, as we are now.

In the 110 years since O Canada was written, women have gained the right to vote and are thankfully no longer viewed as subordinates to men. The lyrics “in all of us command” encapsulate our national values of inclusiveness and equality. There is no longer any reason why O Canada should exclude half the population.

It’s time our anthem caught up with the country.