Senate passes bill to make O Canada lyrics gender neutral

The Senate passed a bill that renders the national anthem gender neutral Wednesday despite the entrenched opposition of some Conservative senators.

The House of Commons overwhelmingly passed a private member's bill in 2016that would alter the national anthemby replacing"in all thy sons command" with "in all of us command" as part of a push to strike gendered language fromO Canada.

The bill wasfirst introduced byLiberal MP Mauril Blanger, who died in 2016. It now must receiveroyal assent by the Governor General before it officially becomes law.

Since 1980, when O Canada officially became the country's anthem, 12 bills have been introduced in the Houseto strip thegenderedreference to "sons," which some have argued is discriminatory. All attempts have faileduntil now.

The song was written by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908and has been changed beforeincluding an update that dates back to before the First World War when the author added the line that later sparked so much debate. Weir, a poet and judge,changed "thou dost in us command" to "in all thy sons command."

'Very, very happy'

Independent Ontario Sen.Frances Lankin, the sponsor of Blanger's bill the upper house,said she was elated after the bill's passage.

"I'm very, very happy. There's been 30 years plusof activity trying to make our national anthem, this important thing about our country, inclusive of all of us," she said. "This may besmall, it's about two words, but it's huge ... we can now sing it with pride knowing the law will support us in terms of the language. I'm proud to be part of the group that made this happen."

Independent Quebec Sen.ChantalPetitclerc, a formerParalympianwho has been awarded 14 gold medals for wheelchair racing, said she was "jealous" of those athletes headed toPyeongchangfor the winter games, as they will finally be able to sing a gender neutral antheman option that wasn't open to herwhen she competed internationally in the1990sand early2000s.

Senators on changing O Canada

7 years ago

Duration 1:12

Senators on changing O Canada

"I had the privilege to be on the podium many times and I never had the chance to sing 'In all of us command,'" she said. "I can only imagine what they'll feel when they're on the step of that podium ... it's an amazing moment."

After 18 months of debate in the Red Chamber, Lankin introduced a controversial motion in the Senate Tuesday evening that would effectively shut down debate and immediately move to a vote on the bill.

Conservative senators were furious that Manitoba Sen. Don Plett, who has long opposed the bill, was not able to speak in opposition to such a motion. They said it was an affront to democracy to use these time-limiting motions to silence the opposition.

"When amajority of individuals decide to shut down discourse in this place, democracy dies. We need to be very wary of tools that muzzle debate ... that is the fundamental right you have, to get up and speak on any piece of legislation, none of us have the right to take that away," Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos, himself a former Speaker, said ahead of the vote.

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Larry Smith, the Conservative leader in the Senate, call Lankin'smotion thatfinally ended debateofficially called a "dilatory motion" a "Draconian tool" that has never before been used by an Independent senator that was like a"guillotine" coming down on voices in the minority.

"It's very unfortunate. It just shows you that things aren't functioning in the way they should," he said.

'I'm disappointed'

Plett said Wednesdaythat a change such as altering the national anthem should be put to a referendum.

"Clearly, I'm disappointed ... it's been a long fight, I believe the Canadian public wanted a say in our national anthem, just like they had in the great Canadian flag debate. This is an issue for the Canadian public to decide not just a couple of Independent senators."

Conservatives boycotted a vote onLankin's motion and thus missed the final vote on the bill, which passed on a voice vote as only Independent and Liberal senatorswho were largely in favour of the changewere present in the chamber. Although, some "nays" could be heard coming from a handfulof those senators.

"There's a lot of political theatre taking place right now and it's unfortunatemembers of the Conservative caucus weren'tthere to vote," Lankin said.

At least one Conservativesenatoraccused Senate Speaker GeorgeFureywho was appointed as a Liberal by Jean Chrtienbut now identifies as non-affiliated in his non-partisan role as Speakerof conspiring with Independent and Liberal senators to ignore Conservative senators who wanted to speak against the bill.

Retired Conservative senator Nancy Ruth, who introduced a similar bill some 10 years ago, was in the chamber Wednesdayto seeBlanger's bill pass.

"I'm feeling excited, and thrilled, andthe Independents are fabulous," she said.

When asked what she thought of her former Conservative caucus colleagues boycotting the vote, Ruth declined to comment. "I couldn't say."