At that time, the "Chant National", also by Routhier, was popular amongst Francophones as an anthem, while "God Save the Queen" and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had, since 1867, been competing as unofficial national anthems in English Canada.
The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which, words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.
Similarly, the Canadian Army's motto is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee). ==History== The 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.
"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).
The original lyrics were in French; an English translation was published in 1906.
Multiple English versions ensued, with Robert Stanley Weir's version in 1908 gaining the most popularity, eventually serving as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament.
This was the first known performance of the song outside Quebec. 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".
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 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".
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". In 1970, the Queen in Right of Canada purchased the right to the lyrics and music of "O Canada" from Gordon V.
Weir's 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".
In 1926, a fourth verse of a religious nature was added.
"O Canada" had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming the country's national anthem in 1980 when Canada's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day (today's Canada Day) celebrations. ==Melody == "O Canada" is a 28-bar song originally written in the key of G major for four voices and piano, as a march in 4/4 time to be played "" ("majestic and resolved").
Other provinces and territories do not have legal provisions around it playing in schools. ==Adaptations== In the 1950s, "O Canada's" melody was adapted for the school anthem of the Ateneo de Manila University.
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.
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, 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, one verse from each, in both official languages, to be adopted by parliament.
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". In 1970, the Queen in Right of Canada purchased the right to the lyrics and music of "O Canada" from Gordon V.
"O Canada" had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming the country's national anthem in 1980 when Canada's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day (today's Canada Day) celebrations. ==Melody == "O Canada" is a 28-bar song originally written in the key of G major for four voices and piano, as a march in 4/4 time to be played "" ("majestic and resolved").
The song finally became the official national anthem in 1980 with the passage of the National Anthem Act.
Other linguistic variations have also been performed: During the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, "O Canada" was sung in the southern Tutchone language by Yukon native Daniel Tlen.
In contrast, the French lyrics are unchanged from the original version. ===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".
In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the Christian cross in French) were criticized by secularists. 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.
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".
In the context of Tennyson's poem To the Queen, the word true means "loyal" or "faithful". The lyrics and melody of "O Canada" are both in the public domain, a status unaffected by the trademarking of the phrases "with glowing hearts" and "des plus brillants exploits" for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the Christian cross in French) were criticized by secularists. 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.
However, three-quarters of Canadians polled after the speech objected to the proposal and, two days later, the prime minister's office announced that the Cabinet had decided not to restore the original lyrics. 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.
Following the 2015 federal election, Bélanger reintroduced the bill in the new parliament as Bill C-210 in January 2016.
Following the 2015 federal election, Bélanger reintroduced the bill in the new parliament as Bill C-210 in January 2016.
In June 2016, the bill passed its third reading with a vote of 225 to 74 in the House of Commons.
Weir's lyrics have been revised three times, most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender) was enacted in 2018.
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. ===Second and third stanzas: historical refrain=== Below are some slightly different versions of the second and third stanzas and the chorus, plus an additional fourth stanza.
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