It would be nice if we stopped excluding women from their national anthem,” Fergus said during debate. The most popular version was written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir and, following some minor changes, was adopted as the official national anthem in 1980. OTTAWA — Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger’s attempt to make the national anthem gender-neutral passed a second-reading vote Wednesday in the House of Commons — putting it one step closer to becoming law — but it faces a few more legislative hurdles. Conservative MPs Michael Chong, Michelle Rempel, Peter Kent, Deepak Obhrai and Len Webber voted Wednesday to support the bill. Let us make our national anthem inclusive.”Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who has been championing the bill on Bélanger’s behalf, said he recognizes that changing a national symbol can spark emotional debate and that people are reluctant to give up traditions.

Source: National Post June 02, 2016 00:33 UTC