OTTAWA—Public education will be vital in making sure Canadians know about forthcoming changes to the lyrics of O Canada that are expected to become official in the coming days, says a longtime champion behind the reforms. Liberal MP Mona Fortier says she would like to see the government invest in a public awareness campaign to promote the national anthem’s new gender-neutral language. The change is the culmination of a years-long effort by former MP Mauril Belanger, Fortier’s predecessor in her Ottawa-Vanier riding, to change the anthem’s second line from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.”Belanger was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, following the 2015 election. He died two months after the House of Commons passed the bill in June 2016, but the Senate took until last week to approve the new wording.

Source: thestar February 06, 2018 09:33 UTC