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.
![](https://media.darpanmagazine.com/library/uploads/news/content/canada-flag@#</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
"i intend to table my bill when the house of commons resumes in late january 2016 and can expect to initiate the debate on the bill around april."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
belanger said the objective of the bill is to "pay tribute to all the women who have worked and fought to build and shape the canada that we know today ... to at long last honour their sacrifices and contributions."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
o canada was originally composed by calixa lavallee in 1880, with french lyrics by sir adolphe-basile routhier.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
it took about 20 years for the song to surface in english canada, where various versions of the lyrics were tried out.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
belanger has noted that his proposed change would actually return the lyrics closer to one of the versions most widely used in the early 1900s: "true patriot love thou dost in us command." that line was changed to "in all thy sons command" at the time of the first world war, presumably to honour men in the armed forces, according to the canadian encyclopedia.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
the last time the english lyrics were changed was in 1980, when o canada was officially adopted as the national anthem. at that time, repetitive phrases were replaced with "from far and wide, o canada" and "god keep our land, glorious and free."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
since then, there have been at least 10 attempts to change the second line to include women — all of which have failed.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
stephen harper's conservative government broached the idea in a 2010 throne speech, but abandoned it just two days later amid an angry backlash among core tory party supporters.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
in a bid to persuade conservatives that canadians are not averse to modernizing the anthem, belanger last spring commissioned his own poll which suggested almost 60 per cent favour his proposed wording. all but five conservative mps voted against his bill anyway.</div>.jpg)
MORE National ARTICLES
Bank Of Montreal Joins Chorus Of Economists Predicting Interest Rate Cut
The odds that the Bank of Canada will lower its key interest rate next week are rising, with some of the country's big banks now predicting a rate cut.
Bank Of Montreal Joins Chorus Of Economists Predicting Interest Rate Cut
B.C. Teachers Delighted As Supreme Court To Hear Long-Running Dispute
The teachers are appealing a decision by the province's court of appeal, which said the legislation did not violate their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
B.C. Teachers Delighted As Supreme Court To Hear Long-Running Dispute
Because It's 2016? Women On Canadian Bank Notes May Make Comeback, Says Bill Morneau
Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he would strongly support a Bank of Canada recommendation to feature more women on Canadian currency.
Because It's 2016? Women On Canadian Bank Notes May Make Comeback, Says Bill Morneau
Hydro One Can't Get Wi-Fi Signal From 36,000 Smart Meters; Will Read Manually
Ontario's opposition parties say it's no surprise that Hydro One has to manually read thousands of electricity smart meters because the devices can't get a wireless signal.
Hydro One Can't Get Wi-Fi Signal From 36,000 Smart Meters; Will Read Manually
B.C. Supreme Court Hands Another Setback To Northern Gateway Pipeline
An alliance of First Nations is celebrating a British Columbia Supreme Court ruling that it says could set back the Northern Gateway pipeline by years and throw a wrench into another high-profile project review.
B.C. Supreme Court Hands Another Setback To Northern Gateway Pipeline
Westjet Vows To Compete With New Rival Newleaf On Fares, Not Added Fees
MONTREAL — WestJet Airlines says it will use low fares to compete with new discount rival NewLeaf but its "ancillary revenue" will come only from extra fees that it thinks will "add value" for its guests.