Editing O Canada (section)

==History==
The French lyrics of "O Canada" were written by Sir [[Adolphe-Basile Routhier]], to music composed by [[Calixa Lavallée]], as a [[French Canadian]] patriotic song for the [[Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society]] and first performed on June 24, 1880, at a [[Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day]] banquet in [[Quebec City]]. At that time, the "Chant National", also by Routhier, was popular amongst Francophones as an anthem,<ref name=QHE>{{Cite book|last=Bélanger|first=Claude|title=The Quebec History Encyclopedia|chapter=National Anthem of Canada|place=Montreal|publisher=Marianopolis College|chapter-url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/Anthem.htm|access-date=September 25, 2019|archive-date=September 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919114337/http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/Anthem.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> while "[[God Save the Queen]]" and "[[The Maple Leaf Forever]]" had, since 1867, been competing as unofficial national anthems in [[English Canada]]. "O Canada" joined that fray when a group of school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by [[Duke of Cornwall|the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall]] (later [[George V|King George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]).<ref name=DCHOCanada/> This was the first known performance of the song outside Quebec.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kuitenbrouwer|first1=Peter|title=The Strange History of 'O Canada'|url=https://thewalrus.ca/the-strange-history-of-o-canada/|access-date=July 7, 2017|work=[[The Walrus]]|date=June 27, 2017|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817071426/https://thewalrus.ca/the-strange-history-of-o-canada/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:"O Canada!" sheet music, 1906.png|thumb|Sheet music for an English-language version of "O Canada" published in 1906.]]
Five years later, the Whaley and Royce company in [[Toronto]] published the music with the French text and a first translation into English by Thomas Bedford Richardson and, in 1908, ''[[Collier's|Collier's Weekly]]'' magazine held a competition to write new English lyrics for "O Canada". The competition was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her version never gained wide acceptance.<ref name=QHE/> In fact, many made English translations of Routhier's words; however, the most popular version was created in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and Recorder of the City of [[Montreal]]. Weir's lyrics from 1908 contained no religious references and used the phrase "thou dost in us command" before they were changed by Weir in 1913 to read "in all thy sons command".<ref name=DCHOCanada/><ref>{{Cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/commonschoolbook00unse_0 | title=The Common School Book of Vocal Music: A One-Book Course of Song and Study for Use in Schools of Mixed Grades| publisher=W. J. Gage & Co| year=1913| location=Toronto}}</ref><ref name=CE /> In 1926, a fourth verse of a religious nature was added.<ref name=Hansard2002>{{Cite journal| journal=[[Hansard]]| url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/Sen/Chamber/371/Debates/091db_2002-02-21-e.htm#29| title=Bill to Amend—Second Reading—Debate Adjourned| access-date=October 10, 2014| volume=1st Session, 37th Parliament| date=February 21, 2002| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| location=Ottawa| archive-date=October 2, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002060537/http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/Sen/Chamber/371/Debates/091db_2002-02-21-e.htm#29| url-status=live}}</ref> A slightly modified version was officially published for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and gradually it became the most widely accepted and performed version of this song.<ref name=DCHOCanada/>

The tune was thought to have become the ''[[de facto]]'' national anthem after King [[George VI]] remained at attention during its playing at the dedication of the [[National War Memorial (Canada)|National War Memorial]] in [[Ottawa]], Ontario, on May 21, 1939;<ref>{{Cite magazine| last=Bethune| first=Brian| title=A gift fit for a king|magazine=Maclean's| publisher=Rogers Communications| location=Toronto| date=July 7, 2011| url=http://www.macleans.ca/2011/07/07/a-gift-fit-for-a-king/| issn=0024-9262| access-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref> though George was actually following a precedent set by his brother, [[Edward VIII|Edward]], the previous [[Monarchy of Canada|king of Canada]], when he dedicated the [[Canadian National Vimy Memorial]] in France in 1936.<ref name=Galbraith10>{{cite journal| last=Galbraith| first=William| title=Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit|journal=[[Canadian Parliamentary Review]]|volume=12| issue=3| page=10| publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association| location=Ottawa| year=1989| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/english/issue.asp?param=130&art=820| archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205052132/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/english/issue.asp?param=130&art=820| url-status=dead| archive-date=December 5, 2012| access-date=March 10, 2010}}</ref> By-laws and practices governing the use of song during public events in municipalities varied; in Toronto, "God Save the King" or "God Save the Queen" was employed, while in Montreal it was "O Canada".

Musicologist [[Ross W. Duffin|Ross Duffin]] has argued that Lavallée constructed the melody for "O Canada" by adapting material by Mozart ("[[The Magic Flute|March of the Priests]]", measures 1–8), Wagner ("Wach auf, es nahet gen den Tag", measures 9–16), Liszt ("Festklänge", measures 17–20), and Matthias Keller ("The American Hymn", measures 21–28).<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=[[The Musical Quarterly]]|date=June 28, 2020|accessdate=July 4, 2020|author1-first=Ross W.|author1-last=Duffin|author1-link=Ross W. Duffin|title=Calixa Lavallée and the Construction of a National Anthem|doi=10.1093/musqtl/gdaa004 |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/musqtl/gdaa004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1-last=Wheeler |author1-first=Brad |date=3 August 2020 |title="Expat Musicologist Contends O Canada Not an Original Composition |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-expat-musicologist-contends-o-canada-not-an-original-composition/ |work=Toronto Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |access-date=9 Aug 2020 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826110257/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-expat-musicologist-contends-o-canada-not-an-original-composition/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Adoption===
Prime Minister [[Lester B. Pearson]] in 1964 said one song would have to be chosen as the country's national anthem and the government resolved to form a joint committee to review the status of the two musical works. The next year, Pearson put to the House of Commons a motion that "the government be authorized to take such steps as may be necessary to provide that 'O Canada' shall be the National Anthem of Canada while 'God Save the Queen' shall be the Royal Anthem of Canada", of which parliament approved. In 1967, the Prime Minister advised [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Georges Vanier]] to appoint the Special Joint Committee of the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] and [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] on the National and Royal Anthems; the group first met in February and,<ref name=CE>{{Cite book|last1=Potvin|first1=Gilles|last2=Kallmann|first2=Helmut|title=The Canadian Encyclopedia|chapter=O Canada|place=Toronto|publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada|chapter-url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/o-canada|access-date=November 10, 2015|title-link=The Canadian Encyclopedia|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021353/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/o-canada/|url-status=live}}</ref> within two months, on April 12, 1967, presented its conclusion that "O Canada" should be designated as the national anthem and "[[God Save the Queen]]" as the [[Honors music|royal anthem]] of Canada,<ref name=DCHOCanada/> one verse from each, in [[Official bilingualism in Canada|both official languages]], to be adopted by parliament. The group was then charged with establishing official lyrics for each song. For "O Canada", the Robert Stanley Weir version of 1908 was recommended for the English words, with a few minor changes: two of the "stand on guard" phrases were replaced with "from far and wide" and "God keep our land".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kallmann|first=Helmut|title=The Canadian Encyclopedia|chapter=National and Royal Anthems|place=Toronto|publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada|chapter-url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-and-royal-anthems-emc/|access-date=June 25, 2010|title-link=The Canadian Encyclopedia|archive-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130235241/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-and-royal-anthems-emc/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=DCHOCanada />

In 1970, the [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen in Right of Canada]] purchased the right to the lyrics and music of "O Canada" from Gordon V. Thompson Music for $1.<ref>{{cite book|author=Helmut Kallmann, Marlene Wehrle|chapter-url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/articles/emc/gordon-v-thompson-music|chapter=Gordon V. Thompson Music|title=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=August 2, 2013|title-link=The Canadian Encyclopedia|archive-date=November 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106193020/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/articles/emc/gordon-v-thompson-music|url-status=live}}</ref> The song finally became the official national anthem in 1980 with the passage of the ''National Anthem Act.''<ref name=Galbraith10/><ref name=CE/> The Act replaced two of the repetitions of the phrase "We stand on guard" in the English lyrics, as had been proposed by the Senate Special Joint Committee. This change was controversial with traditionalists and, for several years afterwards, it was not uncommon to hear people still singing the old lyrics at public events. In contrast, the French lyrics are unchanged from the original version.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/Canadiana/pf-anthem.html| title=National anthem: O Canada| date=May 26, 2004| publisher=Canoe| access-date=July 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100311145403/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/Canadiana/pf-anthem.html|archive-date=March 11, 2010|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Inclusive language debates===
In June 1990, [[Toronto City Council]] voted 12 to 7 in favour of recommending to the [[Government of Canada|Canadian government]] that the phrase "our home and native land" be changed to "our home and cherished land" and that "in all thy sons command" be partly reverted to "in all of us command". Councillor [[Howard Moscoe]] said that the words "native land" were not appropriate for the many Canadians who were not native-born and that the word "sons" implied "that women can't feel true patriotism or love for Canada".<ref>{{Cite news| last=Byers| first=Jim | title='O Canada' offensive, Metro says| newspaper=Toronto Star| page=A.2| date=June 6, 1990}}</ref> [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] [[Vivienne Poy]] similarly criticized the English lyrics of the anthem as being [[Gender-neutral language|sexist]] and she introduced a bill in 2002 proposing to change the phrase "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command".<ref name=Hansard2002/> In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the [[Christian cross]] in French) were criticized by [[secularist]]s.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/hnn/archives/?id=242&article=7| last=Thomas| first=Doug| title=Is Canada a Secular Nation? Part 3: Post-Charter Canada| publisher=Institute for Humanist Studies| date=May 17, 2006| access-date=March 27, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620010135/http://americanhumanist.org/hnn/archives/?id=242&article=7| archive-date=June 20, 2010| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In the [[speech from the throne]] delivered by [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Michaëlle Jean]] on March 3, 2010, a plan to have parliament review the "original [[gender-neutral]] wording of the national anthem" was announced.<ref>{{Cite news| title=O Canada lyrics to be reviewed| publisher=MSN| date=March 3, 2010| url=http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23570847| access-date=July 6, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306130321/http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23570847| archive-date=March 6, 2010| url-status=dead}}</ref> However, three-quarters of Canadians polled after the speech objected to the proposal and,<ref>{{Citation|title=English-Speaking Canadians Reject Changing Verse from "O Canada"|publisher=[[Angus Reid Public Opinion]]|date=March 5, 2010| page=1}}{{Nonspecific|date=September 2019}}</ref> two days later, the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|prime minister's office]] announced that the [[Cabinet of Canada|cabinet]] had decided not to change the original lyrics.<ref>{{Cite news| title=National anthem won't change: PMO| publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation| date=March 5, 2010| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/national-anthem-won-t-change-pmo-1.897850| access-date=April 11, 2016| archive-date=April 20, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420194621/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/national-anthem-won-t-change-pmo-1.897850| url-status=live}}</ref>

In another attempt to make the anthem gender-neutral, Liberal MP [[Mauril Bélanger]] introduced a [[private member's bill]] in September 2014. His Bill C-624, ''An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender)'', was defeated at second reading in April 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/LEGISInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=6691453|title=Private Member's Bill C-624 (41–2)|website=LEGISinfo|publisher=Parliament of Canada|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226084743/http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&billId=6691453&Mode=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 federal election]], Bélanger reintroduced the bill in the new parliament as Bill C-210 in January 2016.<ref name="C-210">{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/LEGISInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=8068817|title=Private Member's Bill C-210 (42–1)|website=LEGISinfo|publisher=Parliament of Canada|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501213024/http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=8068817&Language=E&Mode=1|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2016, the bill passed its third reading with a vote of 225 to 74 in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]].<ref>{{Cite news| title=Dying MP's gender-neutral O Canada bill passes final Commons vote| work=CBC News| date=June 15, 2016| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/belanger-o-canada-gender-lyrics-bill-1.3636348| agency=The Canadian Press| access-date=June 15, 2016| archive-date=December 30, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230043627/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/belanger-o-canada-gender-lyrics-bill-1.3636348| url-status=live}}</ref> The bill passed its third reading in the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] with a [[voice vote]] on January 31, 2018, and received [[royal assent]] on February 7, 2018.<ref name="passed in senate">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem-bill-passes-senate-1.4513317|first=John Paul|last=Tasker|title='In all of us command': Senate passes bill approving gender neutral anthem wording|work=CBC News|date=January 31, 2018|access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=May 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528092926/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anthem-bill-passes-senate-1.4513317|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/o-canada-gender-neutral-melanie-joly-1.4524764|title=O Canada now officially gender neutral after bill receives royal assent|work=CBC News|last=Tasker|first=John Paul|date=February 7, 2018|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109034330/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/o-canada-gender-neutral-melanie-joly-1.4524764|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Second, third and fourth stanzas: historical refrain===
[[File:O Canada Original Lyrics.png|thumb|right|A page from ''Hymns of the Christian Life'', 1962, depicting then long-standing refrain lyrics to "O Canada", but not the original]]
Below are the second, third and fourth stanzas.<ref name=DCHOCanada /> These are rarely sung.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/document/canada(long).pdf| last=Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta| author-link=Lieutenant Governor of Alberta| title=O Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Alberta| access-date=April 17, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413191251/http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/document/canada(long).pdf| archive-date=April 13, 2008}}</ref>

<poem>'''II'''
O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea.
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!

{{small|'''Chorus'''}}
God keep our land glorious and free!
𝄆 O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. 𝄇

'''III'''
O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons, and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western sea.
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!

{{small|'''''Chorus'''''}}

'''IV'''
Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

{{small|'''''Chorus'''''}}</poem>

===Original French version===
The first verse is the same. The other verses follow.

<poem lang="fr" style="float:left;">'''II'''
Sous l'œil de Dieu, près du fleuve géant,
Le Canadien grandit en espérant.
Il est né d'une race fière,
Béni fut son berceau.
Le ciel a marqué sa carrière
Dans ce monde nouveau.
Toujours guidé par sa lumière,
𝄆 Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau. 𝄇

'''III'''
De son patron, précurseur du vrai Dieu,
Il porte au front l'auréole de feu.
Ennemi de la tyrannie
Mais plein de loyauté,
Il veut garder dans l'harmonie,
Sa fière liberté;
Et par l'effort de son génie,
𝄆 Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité. 𝄇

'''IV'''
Amour sacré du trône et de l'autel,
Remplis nos cœurs de ton souffle immortel!
Parmi les races étrangères,
Notre guide est la loi&thinsp;:
Sachons être un peuple de frères,
Sous le joug de la foi.
Et répétons, comme nos pères,
𝄆 Le cri vainqueur&thinsp;: «&thinsp;Pour le Christ et le roi!&thinsp;» 𝄇</poem>
<poem style="margin-left:2em; float:left;">'''II'''
Under the eye of God, near the giant river,
The Canadian grows hoping.
He was born of a proud race,
Blessed was his birthplace.
Heaven has noted his career
In this new world.
Always guided by its light,
𝄆 He will keep the honour of his flag. 𝄇

'''III'''
From his patron, the precursor of the true God,
He wears the halo of fire on his brow.
Enemy of tyranny
But full of loyalty,
He wants to keep in harmony,
His proud freedom;
And by the effort of his genius,
𝄆 Set on our ground the truth. 𝄇

'''IV'''
Sacred love of the throne and the altar,
Fill our hearts with your immortal breath!
Among the foreign races,
Our guide is the law:
Let us know how to be a people of brothers,
Under the yoke of faith.
And repeat, like our fathers,
𝄆 The battle cry: "For Christ and King!" 𝄇</poem>{{Clear|left}}