Canada: Bill to revise national anthem in tribute to women

Canadian Liberal MP, Mauril Bélanger, submitted a bill on 27 January, requesting the revision of the Canadian national anthem. According to the bill, the 'O Canada' national anthem should be revised by changing the line, "True patriot love in all thy sons command" to "all of us command".

The news comes as the liberal government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, continues to seek better representation of women in the public sphere. "With my bill, I want to pay tribute to all the women who have worked and fought to build and shape the Canada that we know today," said Bélanger in a statement. "I want to at long last honor their sacrifices and contribution."

Bélanger introduced the bill through an iPad speech app, since he is not able to speak following his diagnosis with Lou Gehrig's disease. Earlier, there have been nearly 10 attempts to revise the Canadian national anthem, however they were all unsuccessful since conservatives said the move is "grammatically unnecessary" or that most of the Canadian soldiers are men.

The last time the anthem was revised was in 1980 when 'O Canada' replaced 'God Save the Queen'. "For women, this will means we are included and valued for our labours in building this country. It means this for all Canadians," said Nancy Ruth, a Conservative senator.

"There's a small number of people here who really want it changed and a small number who don't," said David Kendall, a Canadian anthem expert, reported The Guardian. "But most don't mind what it says as long as they get to sing it at the hockey."

Earlier in 2015, Bélanger had said, while addressing the Canadian House of Commons, reported USAToday: "Let us start singing 'all of us' instead ... That is the right thing to do, and I hope we will do so and represent the evolution of our society over the last century."