Thursday, March 4, 2010

Changing Canada’s National Anthem


I heard someone in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office is considering changing the words to Canada’s national anthem.

When I heard that on the news this morning, I swore.

I rarely swear.

Apparently, people are offended, or at least concerned, about the words: True patriot love in all thy ‘sons’ command.

According to local radio station 680News, in the 1990s, Toronto Council asked the federal government to change the lyrics to our anthem. In addition to taking offense to ‘sons’, they also wanted to change ‘Our home and native land,’ to ‘Our home and cherished land.’

Yes, that seems something Toronto council would worry about. This was likely the same group of people who attempted to change the words Christmas tree to Holiday tree.

Are people so sensitive they think Canada only supports its ‘sons’ and not its daughters? Are we still living in a world where we have to be politically correct? Who are the people who have so much time on their hands they have to worry about making everything equal? I appreciate equality. I appreciate the strides women have come in become equal. I believe we have, for the most part, achieved equality. I do not need some gender-neutral word inserted into our national anthem.

On behalf of the normal Canadians of the world, leave our anthem along.

O Canada lyrics
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Visit http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/anthem-eng.cfm for more information about Canada’s national anthem and to listen to the words.

11 comments:

Lorie said...

I am not Canadian, but I COMPLETELY agree! I swear people just NEED to find things to be offended about. I am sure that every time someone sings sons they are thinking to themselves but not the daughters! It is just silly!

Cassie said...

I am not Canadian either but totally agree. People just need to get over themselves.
I get to hear your lovely national anthem sung about 3 or 4 times a month at hockey games. It's usually in French so I never really knew the words :o)
Thanks for stopping by over at my blog :o)

Alison said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!! Hope you have a great Thursday!!

Stephanie said...

I think there are more pressing issues that time and money should be spent on by our government. I would like to know how much it will cost to sort this all through. Would it not be a better use of our expertise and resources to worry about how to feed all the children in Canada who go to school without breakfast or to provide families under the poverty line with better access to life’s necessities?
But of course who am I?! If "they" have their way "sons", "native", and "God" will be taken out and we will no longer recognize our own anthem.

Danielle said...

Wow. Why can't people just learn to not fix things when they are.not.broken. Geeze!!

CoconutPalmDesigns said...

I was thinking the exact same thing as Stephanie. Once they take sons and native out the next thing to go will be God. I'll never sing it differently than it is written now no matter what they do to it and I'll teach my son, who isn't even Canadian, to sing it this way.

From a Canadian in Belize, leave my anthem alone!

Cheers :-)
- CoconutPalmDesigns

And Lis, that just makes me want to swear too!

leigh hewett said...

I'm not Canadian but I'm all fired up for you.

People need to take a chill pill.

Betty said...

I am Canadian and I've been swearing about it too Lisa.

Why can't "these people" leave things alone.

They took the nativity scene out of the schools, they stopped prayers, they stopped with Merry Christmas and changed it to Happy Holidays. WHAT NEXT. Change CANADA to what ?????

If you don't like it here, GO HOME!

Enough is enough, it's time to fight back.

Christina Lee said...

This was a topic a few years ago with the U.S. anthem and it went NOWHERE. GEEZ

Sarah and the Gentlemen said...

Political correctness has gone so overboard that it can't be taken seriously anymore... at least it should be mocked. Unfortunately, those heading these kind of things up are dead serious.

Helen McGinn said...

Oh, this makes my blood boil. The Tristrams were annoyed a while back at Scottish insistence at singing O Flower of Scotland instead of Scotland the Brave at sporting events because of it's 'anti-English' sentiments. Good grief, there is a line "...that sent them homewards, to think again!". Hardly filled with disdain. The world has gone potty.