Lawmakers in Canada vote to make national anthem gender-neutral

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.

The first lyrics to "O Canada" were written in French in 1880. The English lyrics, originally written in 1908, are not an exact translation. "O Canada" was adopted as the country's official anthem in 1980.

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