Canada’s Senate passed a bill Wednesday to make the country’s national anthem gender neutral and people’s reactions were, predictably, very mixed.
The lyrics originally read: “O Canada! / Our home and native land! / True patriot love in all thy sons command.”
Now, with the change, instead of “in all thy sons command,” it will read “in all of us command.” The changes will not be enacted just yet, as the bill still requires “royal assent” from the governor general. Once it receives that, it will become law.
The change was praised by many Canadians, including the prime minister himself, Justin Trudeau, and the author of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood. Both took to Twitter to celebrate the passing of the bill that was sponsored by late politician Mauril Bélanger.
Thank you @SenateCA! ‘In all of us command’: Senate passes bill approving #genderneutral anthem wording https://t.co/kOyXplgNYu
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) February 1, 2018
Mauril’s bill to make O Canada gender neutral passed third reading in the Senate tonight – another positive step towards gender equality. #inallofuscommand
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 1, 2018
Not everyone is happy with the change, and those people also took to Twitter to condemn it for being, among other things, a waste of Senate time.
Dissappointed to hear the Liberals changed our national anthem. Somethings just shouldn’t change. #cdnpoli
— Bob Saroya, MP (@BobSaroya) February 1, 2018
Shameful, anti-democratic behaviour by #Trudeau-appointed senators, including #SenCA Speaker, as they shut down legitimate debate in Chamber
— Sen. Denise Batters (@denisebatters) January 31, 2018
The bill spent 18 months under debate before it passed on Wednesday, and most of the opposition came from the Conservative Party, who appeared split between wanting no change at all to traditional things and making “real” changes in legislation.
“O Canada” became Canada’s national anthem in 1980, and people have been trying to change the lyrics to it in some way or another since that time.