The lyrics and melody of "O Canada" are both in the public domain , [1] a status unaffected by the trademarking of the phrases "with glowing hearts" and " des plus brillants exploits " for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. [9] Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba — Gloriosus et Liber (Glorious and Free) [10] —and Alberta — Fortis et Liber (Strong and Free). [11] Similarly, the Canadian Army 's motto is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee).

It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "March of the Priests" from the opera The Magic Flute , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . [8] The line "The True North strong and free" is based on the Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "that true North, whereof we lately heard / A strain to shame us". In the context of Tennyson's poem To the Queen , the word true means "loyal" or "faithful". [8]

Bilingual version 1 [6] O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. Car ton bras sait porter l'épée, Il sait porter la croix! Ton histoire est une épopée Des plus brillants exploits. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

English translation by the parliamentary translation bureau O Canada! Land of our ancestors Glorious deeds circle your brow For your arm knows how to wield the sword Your arm knows how to carry the cross; Your history is an epic Of brilliant deeds And your valour steeped in faith Will protect our homes and our rights, Will protect our homes and our rights.

English lyrics O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

The original 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,[12] 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 the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary).[1] This was the first known performance of the song outside Quebec.[13]

The house where Lavallée lived on first moving to Quebec City in 1878

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 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.[12] 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 original 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".[1][14][15] In 1926, a fourth verse of a religious nature was added.[16] 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.[1]

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 in Ottawa, Ontario, on May 21, 1939;[17] though George was actually following a precedent set by his brother, Edward, the previous king of Canada, when he dedicated the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France in 1936.[18] By-laws and practices governing the use of song during public events in municipalities varied; in Toronto, "God Save the Queen" was employed, while in Montreal it was "O Canada".

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 Georges Vanier to appoint the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on the National and Royal Anthems; the group first met in February and,[15] 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 royal anthem of Canada,[1] one verse from each, in 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".[19][1]

In 1970 the Queen in Right of Canada purchased the right to the lyrics and music of "O Canada" from Gordon V. Thompson Music for $1.[20] The song finally became the official national anthem in 1980 with the passage of the National Anthem Act.[18][15] 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.[21]

Inclusive language debates

In June 1990, Toronto City Council voted 12 to 7 in favour of recommending to the 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".[22] Senator Vivienne Poy similarly criticized the English lyrics of the anthem as being sexist and she introduced a bill in 2002 proposing to change the phrase "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command".[16] In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the Christian cross in French) were criticized by secularists.[23]

In the speech from the throne delivered by 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.[24] However, three-quarters of Canadians polled after the speech objected to the proposal and,[25] two days later, the prime minister's office announced that the Cabinet had decided not to restore the original lyrics.[26]

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.[27] Following the 2015 federal election, Bélanger reintroduced the bill in the new parliament as Bill C-210 in January 2016.[28] In June 2016, the bill passed its third reading with a vote of 225 to 74 in the House of Commons.[29] The bill passed its third reading in the Senate with a voice vote on January 31, 2018 and received royal assent on February 7, 2018.[30][31]

Second and third stanzas: historical refrain

Hymns of the Christian Life, 1962, depicting then long-standing refrain lyrics to "O Canada", but not the original A page from, 1962, depicting then long-standing refrain lyrics to "O Canada", but not the original

Below are some slightly different versions of the second and third stanzas and the chorus, plus an additional fourth stanza.[1] These are rarely sung.[32]

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!



Chorus

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.



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!



Chorus



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.



Chorus

Original French version

The first verse is the same. The other verses follow.

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,

Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.



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,

Sur notre sol asseoir la vérité.



Amour sacré du trône et de l'autel,

Remplis nos cœurs de ton souffle immortel!

Parmi les races étrangères,

Notre guide est la loi :

Sachons être un peuple de frères,

Sous le joug de la foi.

Et répétons, comme nos pères,

Le cri vainqueur : "Pour le Christ et le roi!"

Le cri vainqueur : "Pour le Christ et le roi!"