Whose patriot love? York Region leaders weigh in on proposed anthem change

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 4, 2016
By Lisa Queen

In 1914, as Canada was sending troops off to fight in the First World War, the lyrics of O Canada were changed to reflect Canadians’ sense of patriotism in seeing their boys leave for battle.

“True patriot love thou dost in us command” in the second line of the anthem became “True patriot love in all thy sons command.”

Now, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev, a former Royal Canadian Air Force captain who spent a decade as an air force logistics officer, is behind a move to change the lyric to be gender-neutral.

She is seconding a private member’s bill introduced last week by Mauril Belanger, an Ottawa MP suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease who is making his second attempt to change the lyric.

If approved, the second line of the national anthem would be, “True patriot love in all of us command.”

Last year, Belanger commissioned an opinion poll conducted by Mainstreet Technologies that indicated 58 per cent of Canadians support the change and 19 per cent are opposed.

The time has come to make the language of the national anthem more inclusive, Alleslev said.

“First of all, we need to have an anthem that everyone in our society can see themselves in,” she said, adding the original words of the anthem symbolized all Canadians’ patriotism.

While it is understandable changing the lyric in 1914 reflected the era’s sentiment of sending young men off to war, the anthem should now recognize the great contributions men and women have made to Canada and stand as inspiration for male and female Canadians, Alleslev said.

Going back to the now-dated “thou dost” is a bit much for Canadians to get their mouth around, but “in all of us” is a modern version of the original meaning, she said.

Feelings about changing the lyric are mixed in York Region.

“Why change it? I like it the way it is because I think it should never be changed,” regional chairperson Wayne Emmerson said.

“It’s been there for histories and histories, so why do we need to mess around with something? Maybe it’s not politically correct, but it’s been politically correct for hundreds of years, so I don’t see the sense of changing it. I would not support it.”

Dave Gordon, executive director of the Aurora-based Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Provincial Command, also wants to keep the anthem as it is.

“I would suggest no change be made. I just don’t see the reason to change it. If it’s not broke, it doesn’t need to be fixed,” he said.

Alleslev said she understands some people’s reluctance to change traditional lyrics that virtually every Canadian alive today has grown up singing or been singing since coming to Canada.

“They don’t like the idea of messing with the lyrics and I understand that. They think by changing it, it will change the value and the importance of the national anthem. But when I talk to them and explain what it was originally (many agree with the change),” she said.

“I think we’re now at a time when we can bring the past and the future together and recognize it’s important to all of us to make a meaningful contribution to our country.”

After hearing Alleslev’s explanation, Kate Marshall, a 22-year-old Newmarket resident and a student at Seneca College’s King campus, said she supports making the lyrics of the national anthem gender-neutral, but doesn’t support the proposed new wording.

“I think it’s a good idea if everybody is going to be included because that is what we should stand for as a country,” she said.

“However, I don’t think it should say ‘in all of us command.’ It sounds like grade school language. We should take more pride in what our anthem is saying rather than it sounding so kindergarten-ish. It should be more meaningful language.”

Catherine Curtis-Madden, executive director of the Women’s Centre of York Region, applauds changing the lyric to gender-neutral language.

“We operate from a feminist and non-oppressive standpoint,” she said, adding it is important for all Canadians to feel they are reflected in the words of the national anthem.

“We support the use of gender-neutral language.”

While traditionalists may favour keeping “in all thy sons command,” Curtis-Madden said many people, herself included, are surprised to learn the words of the anthem used before the First World War were gender-neutral.

She would also like to see more meaningful language than “in all of us command.”

Harry Renaud, executive director of the Stouffville Chamber of Commerce, is fine with leaving the lyric alone or changing it if Canadians support altering it.

“I don’t have a problem with it as it is, but if there is a movement that it would be felt (to be) more inclusive, that is more Canadian and that is fine with me,” he said.

Markham Stouffville Hospital president Jo-anne Marr is torn between keeping the lyric as is to maintain tradition and changing it to be inclusive.

“It’s an intriguing idea (to change it). To be honest, it’s not something that I have given a great deal of thought to. I think that there is always a perspective in legacy and obviously the words were set for good reason from the beginning. It’s something that I would have to think hard about. But I’m all for change, having said that,” she said.

“I can see (the merits of the lyric being inclusive). I’m sure when the words were originally set to music, that wasn’t the intention not to be inclusive. So, I can see where they’re going and I can see that makes sense. But I can appreciate there is probably a strong link and gravitation to keeping things the way they were.”

York-Simcoe Conservative MP Peter Van Loan doesn’t support changing the lyric.

“Our party is not proposing any changes to the national anthem. Our focus remains on jobs and the economy,” he said in an email.

There have been many attempts to change “in all our sons command” over the years, but they have all failed.

Belanger introduced an identical private member’s bill during the last term, but it was defeated last April. However, it has a better chance of passing now that the Liberals have a majority government.

The last time the words of O Canada were changed was in 1980 when “From far and wide, O Canada” and “God keep our land glorious and free” were incorporated.