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Oh, Canada: After a massive public outcry, the Canadian government has backed away from its proposal to render the lyrics of the national anthem gender-neutral. Sen. Nancy Ruth—who in the 1990s dropped her last name, Jackman, in a protest against patriarchy—had proposed that one line be changed from the current “True patriot love in all thy sons command” to the original, 1908 version: “True patriot love, thou dost in us command.” Her idea was included in last week’s “throne speech,” the government’s description of its agenda for the coming parliamentary session. But just two days later, after polls showed that nearly 75 percent of Canadians were opposed to the change, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said his government would leave the anthem as it is.

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