O Canada may get gender-neutral re-write
Posted Mar 4, 2010 06:06:09 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The national anthem may have a date with an editor. Wednesday’s throne speech promised to “examine the original gender-neutral English wording of the national anthem.”
The original 1908 poem the anthem’s lyrics are based on refers to “True patriot love thou dost in us command.”
Those who don’t like the current line, “in all thy sons command,” say it leaves out the daughters.
“If I tell people I have children, I tell them I have sons and daughters. I don’t tell them I have sons when I have sons and daughters,” activist Janet Keeping told CTV News, when refuting claims that “sons” refers to all citizens.
The NDP and Liberals say they would support tweaking the one line. But opposition leaders question the urgency.
“Is this the most important national priority,” questioned Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, on CTV News Channel’s Power Play. “We of course support it, but if you want to do something for women, could we get…families some childcare?”
Politicians have been attempting to change the national anthem’s third line since at least 1990. Previous attempts to make the line more gender-neutral have been dismissed as political correctness run amok.
