Lawmakers in Canada vote to make national anthem gender-neutral

Members of the Canadian Women's Soccer Team in London in 2012.
(Image credit: Stanley Chou/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Canadian lawmakers voted to change the English version of "O Canada," the country's national anthem, to make the lyrics gender-neutral.

The bill would remove the words "in all thy sons command" and insert "in all of us command," Reuters reports. The Liberal-controlled House of Commons passed the bill, and it now goes to the appointed Senate, which usually approves legislation from the House. "I think it's really important as a very strong symbol of our commitment to gender equality in this country," Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu said before the vote. There were some Conservative lawmakers opposed to the bill, saying the Canadian people were not consulted on the matter.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.