Canadian women fight for 'gender neutral' national anthem

Image
ANI Washington
Last Updated : Oct 03 2013 | 2:50 PM IST

A group of Canadian women is reportedly working to lobby the Parliament to alter the national anthem and make it more gender neutral.

The Canadian national anthem reads as, 'True patriot love in all thy sons command', and activists want the word 'sons' to be replaces with 'in all of us in command'.

According to the New York Daily News, the 'Restore Our Anthem' move is also backed by writer Margaret Atwood and former Canadian prime minister, Kim Campbell.

The anthem, originally in French, was written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, however, the English translation by Robert Stanley Weir has become the official anthem for the country.

The report said that the activists stress that they aren't proposing a change but rather want the ballad to be restored to the original wording.

Atwood said that restoring the lyrics to gender-neutral is not only an easy fix to make the anthem inclusive for all Canadians, but it's also long overdue, adding that the anthem fails to recognize the value of female loyalty.

The group's Twitter feed says that high profile Canadian femmes Avril Lavigne, Nelly Furtado, Alanis Morissette and Diana Krall are also among the supporters of the cause.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 03 2013 | 2:43 PM IST

Next Story