O Canada

"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada.

Critics

In recent years, the English version of the anthem has been criticized, by feminists such as Senator Vivienne Poy, for being sexist ("true patriot love in all thy sons command"); alternate lyrics ("in all of us command") have been proposed but are not widely used. The English version has also been under criticism for its religious connotation (God keep our land...).

Related Topics:
Feminist - Vivienne Poy - Sexist

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Another suggested solution to this problem is changing the official English lyrics to the second verse of the original poem which does not contain references to religion or language that is widely considered sexist. This suggestion does not have much support in Canada.

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However, if one sings the first two lines in French, the next four in English, and ends the song in French, one avoids both sexist language and religious references (except for foi "faith", which some would argue could be interpreted as faith in one's country and fellow citizens), expresses national unity, and remains unimpeachable on grounds of revisionism, as both versions are just as official.

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The melody and French and English lyrics of "O Canada" are in the public domain.

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