e-4431 (Culture and heritage)

The Government of Canada would like to thank the petitioners for expressing their concerns regarding the words to the national anthem of Canada.

“O Canada” became Canada’s national anthem by virtue of the National Anthem Act, which was passed in 1980.

The French words of the anthem were composed in 1880 by Adolphe-Basile Routhier, and have remained unchanged since then.

The English lyrics are based on those penned by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908, and subsequently modified by a special joint parliamentary committee on the National and Royal Anthems in 1967-1968. These amended lyrics were the ones adopted in 1980.

The English lyrics of the national anthem were further modified to make the lyrics gender neutral, by way of a private member’s bill in the House of Commons, which received royal assent on February 07, 2018.

By virtue of the Department of Canadian Heritage Act, Section 4 (1) and Section 4 (2) (h), the Minister of Canadian Heritage has jurisdiction “relating to Canadian identity and values, cultural development and heritage” and “state ceremonial and Canadian symbols”.

Thus, the showcasing of emblems such as the national anthem and the National Flag of Canada fall within the purview of the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

However, as the lyrics to the national anthem are consigned in law by virtue of the National Anthem Act, any changes or amendments to this Act must result from parliamentary legislation, as was the case when the English lyrics were amended in 2018.

The Petition calls on the Government of Canada to modify the English lyrics of “O Canada” specifically as a way to denounce the Doctrine of Discovery and the notion of Indigenous land in Canada as Terra Nullius, and thus fulfill its engagements to the TRC’s Call to Action #45.

In December 2020, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-15, an Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The bill was passed by Parliament and received royal assent on June 21, 2021. This act repudiates concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples such as the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius.

The preamble of the Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reads: “Whereas all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating the superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable and socially unjust”.

Additionally, the Vatican, and thus the Papacy and the Catholic Church, on whose authority the Doctrine of Discovery was initiated in the 15^th century, also officially denounced the Doctrine of Discovery on March 30, 2023.

Changing the English lyrics of “O Canada” would only contribute to the fulfillment of part of Calls to Action #45 and #47, as the commitment to these Calls to Action is much broader.

It should be noted that the Petition addresses solely the English lyrics of the national anthem of Canada. An equitable and inclusive review of the lyrics of the national anthem, should this come to pass, would do best to address the national anthem in Canada’s two official languages.