Well, in the light of PM Stephen Harper’s proposal to “review” the wording of the anthem, CBC Radio wanted me (a leading anthematologist) to speak on the issue, so I’ll be on CBC Radio One’s “The Current”, approximately 0920 (the anthem piece will be 0900-0930 - all times your time zone no matter what zone you’re in.) Listen to me pontificate!
(And if you’re American [del]we beat you at hockey! Nyah, nyah![/del] err, I mean you can probably catch a streaming version on CBC Radio’s site.
I won’t be able to hear it, due to busy-ness, but congrats! Can you tell them that a) this is a silly conversation to be having at all (and I’m a woman) and b) if they’re gonna take away “native sons”, can they remove “god” too? If we’re going to go all PC on this, I want it to be both gender neutral AND secular!
Yeah, the native sons and native land thing has always gotten up my nose a bit, as I’m yet another immigrant. That said, if we try to make it all nonoffensive, will there be much left?
We can always use the kindergarten version:
“Oh Canada! Our something mumble LAND! True mumble mumble In all thy mumble mumble! With something something we something something and STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!!! mumble mumble mumble *mumble something and FREE! OH CANADA WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!!! OH CANADA WE STAND ON GUARD… FOR…THEEEEEEEE!!!”
Or the french version: O Canada…mutter mutter…bras…mutter mutter…droits.
Apparantly, some feel the line “in all thy sons command” excludes, well, daughters.
In yesterday’s Throne Speech, the Conservative government said it will ask Parliament to look at the original wording of the anthem, and a committee will determine whether the above line should be changed to “Thou dost in us command”, or something similar. “Thou dost in us command” is the wording from the original anthem, so sayeth the Prime Minister’s Office.
EDIT: I see dhkendall has posted pretty much the same thing. I’ve reported this one to a mod.
Did and did (and I didn’t read your post until after I taped too!) Well, the other guests kind of covered some of that too.
My kids (ages 5 and 7) do that in both languages. 
(My son (age 5) goes to a French Immersion school, my daughter just a regular school).
I will admit the Wonder Bread commercial I saw during the Olympics where kids were butchering the national anthem grated on me a bit. (OK, a lot).
BTW, you might be able to hear it on The Current’s web site as well (just see that the date on the top is March 5), my segment should be in Hour 2.
I heard you! I wasn’t listening too closely (my 1 month old was quite irritable at the time), but I’ve always got CBC Radio One on in my kitchen and I heard you being introduced. Cool!!!