The web has been awash with reactions to the federal government’s stated intention to change the wording of Canada’s national anthem so that it is more gender-inclusive. Many participants in this debate have revealed a gross ignorance of Canadian history in general and of the history of the anthem in particular. For instance, many English-speaking Canadians have said that the 1908 English lyrics are the “original” words to the anthem, when in reality they are simply a liberal translation of the original French lyrics.
The Globe has a fairly good story about the actual history of Canada’s national anthem. For something produced by a journalist, it’s not bad.
You can read about Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, the ultramontanist politician who wrote the original French lyrics in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
I will pay $100 to any MP who can tell me about the role of the ultramontanists in 19th-century Quebec politics without looking it up.
Calixa Lavallée, who wrote the tune, is covered here. The Canadian Encyclopedia‘s entry for O Canada is excellent. I hope that this (manufactured as a distraction tactic) controversy causes some people to read it.
The Past Speaks 