Thursday, March 4, 2010

O, change a vowel and get on with something more important

So they want to change the national anthem.

The one Olympic fans spontaneously sang at Vancouver 2010 venues, bars and in SkyTrain cars. The same sacred song the Conservatives plundered to make True North, Strong and Free the official slogan of the federal government and With Glowing Hearts the official slogan of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“Our Government will also ask Parliament to examine the original gender-neutral English wording of the national anthem,” said Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean in the March 3 throne speech.

Mickey the Mini-Queen was referring to the “True patriot love in all thy sons command” line in O Canada.

After the 2010 Games, patriotism will be low-hanging Okanagan peaches or Niagara grapes for politicians to exploit. But can we skip this useless national debate already?

By changing one vowel, we can satisfy those who still want to sing sons and those who want to read something gender neutral.

My solution? “True patriot love in all thy sun’s command.”

The sun is integral to life in Canada. We long to see more of its rays in winter. Its rays give birth to maple leaves in spring that turn red by the summer rays and finally give way to a symphony of autumn colour. Canada's north is known for midnight sun in summer. Of course there's a certain chain of newspapers and websites that venture to tell you about everything under the sun.

So let’s skip the Royal Commissions and Senate Hearings, change a vowel and get onto something more important. Like housing for the homeless people witnessed by Olympic visitors to Vancouver in February.

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