OTTAWA — Liberal MP Mauril Belanger is losing his own singing voice but that's not stopping him from trying — for a second time — to change the English lyrics to O Canada to make the national anthem more gender neutral.
The veteran Ottawa MP, whose vocal chords have been weakened by Lou Gehrig's disease, is determined to end the song's inference that patriotism is something felt exclusively by men.
Hence, soon after Parliament resumes work today, he intends to table a private member's bill that would alter two words, changing the second line of the anthem from true patriot love "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."
Belanger introduced an identical bill in the last session of Parliament; it was defeated at second reading last April by a close vote of 144-127.
At the time, MPs from all the opposition parties supported the change but almost all Conservative MPs voted against it.
With the Liberals now in the majority, Belanger should have little trouble finally ensuring that women feel equally included in the national anthem.
Passage of the bill would be a fitting legacy for Belanger, who was diagnosed just a month after the Oct. 19 federal election with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It is an incurable, progressive, neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness, paralysis and, eventually, respiratory failure.
"I remain committed to proposing this legislative initiative," Belanger said in a recent posting on his Facebook page.
MORE National ARTICLES
Soaring Price For Trendy Cauliflower Causes Problems For Restaurants
The soaring price of cauliflower is forcing restaurants with signature dishes featuring the popular cabbage relative to rethink their menus and hike prices.
Soaring Price For Trendy Cauliflower Causes Problems For Restaurants
Tory Interim Leader Rona Ambrose Heads On National Tour Ahead Of Winter Sitting
While both the governing Liberals and New Democrats have strategy sessions planned for their respective caucuses, the Conservative are taking a different approach.
Tory Interim Leader Rona Ambrose Heads On National Tour Ahead Of Winter Sitting
Gay Syrian Refugee Relieved To Be In Canada After Facing Dire Threats At Home
He and his friends had begun receiving unwelcome attention from cops in his hometown of Damascus as early as 2012, and they were told that perceived opposition to Syria's extremist government was the reason for the increasingly tense encounters.
Gay Syrian Refugee Relieved To Be In Canada After Facing Dire Threats At Home
‘UK’s Oldest Driver Is 103-Year-Old, And Has Driven For 82 Years Without Any Accident’
Giovanni Rozzo, a former ice-cream seller and milkman, drives daily to visit the grave of his wife who died in 2015.
‘UK’s Oldest Driver Is 103-Year-Old, And Has Driven For 82 Years Without Any Accident’
Murder Trial In Death Of Tim Bosma Begins With Jury Selection Monday In Hamilton
About an hour after the sun had set on a day in early May 2013, Tim Bosma took two men for a test drive in his truck — never to return.
Murder Trial In Death Of Tim Bosma Begins With Jury Selection Monday In Hamilton
Enbridge Boosting Security After Recent Cases Of Pipeline Sabotage
CALGARY — In a field on the outskirts of Sarnia, Ont., there's a big blue wheel surrounded by a chain-link fence.