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George Canyon looking forward to singing new gender-neutral O Canada lyrics

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The man who sings O Canada publicly — more often than anyone else in Calgary — says he’s looking forward to soon belting out the new gender-neutral lyrics in front of thousands of hockey fans, but don’t expect to hear “in all of us command” just yet.

“I’ll do my best,” said George Canyon, the Calgary Flames anthem singer, of adjusting to the change. “I’ll be counting on all the fans to be singing along with me.”

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The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to swap the second line of the anthem from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.” However, the change isn’t official just yet, as the legislation now requires formal royal assent before becoming law.

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Canyon said that’s likely when he’ll make the minor adjustment in his Saddledome renditions, as he awaits the go-ahead from the Flames.

The country music star said he’s sung the anthem more times than he can count, not only at Flames games but also for members of the military, even in Afghanistan.

“For me, I’ve always sung the anthem for men, women, children alike. It’s never been ‘thy sons’ as referring to men,” said Canyon, who was an honorary colonel in the reserves for four years and was later appointed as the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

“When I sing the anthem, I sing it for Canadians and especially for those who served to protect our freedom and continue to serve,” he said.

The lyrical change is something Canyon welcomes.

“I’ve heard lots of arguments, lots of hockey buddies who are like, ‘This is ridiculous, why are we even paying attention to it?’ Well you know what, if you put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment and take a deep breath and think about it, if that person is offended or feels like they don’t belong or feels like they’re being excluded, then we have a problem,” he said. “Men and women have given their lives for our freedom. If somebody feels that they’re being excluded because of the anthem, then we all need to sit down and talk about that.”

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Brad Mahon, a musicologist and head of the Mount Royal University Conservatory, said national anthems can change based on the reflection of values in society, even if that doesn’t happen often. He pointed to a change the anthem’s lyrics underwent after the First World War, when “all thy sons command” was added to pay tribute to the men who went off to fight in the military. 

“This doesn’t happen very often. We’re not changing the words every decade but perhaps you could say it’s something as significant enough as a shift in our social compass,” said Mahon, calling the anthem “a mirror of its people.”

“There is a response to what is happening culturally, politically, in our society,” he said. “We have never been more sensitive and more aware of people and our complexities in society and I think it’s reflecting that.”

Getting used to the new gender-neutral words could take time for some who have grown accustomed to the way they’ve sung O Canada all their lives.

A spokesperson for the Calgary Catholic School District said it will be sourcing out a new version to play at its schools once the anthem bill receives royal assent. The Calgary Board of Education also said that its schools will use the new lyrics as they are made official.

For Canyon, this will be the first time he’s ever had to make an adjustment in the way he sings a song that he’s so used to chanting a certain way. He said he hasn’t yet thought about how he’ll prepare.

“I don’t know. I have not practised it the new way. I’ll just take a deep breath,” he chuckled. “Hopefully I’ll remember to sing it the new way.”

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