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Canada / Canada’s Great Moments / Drawing 32

Canadian history · Drawing 32 of 37

An anthem for Canada

1980

Colouring illustration: An anthem for Canada
An imagined small choir on July 1, 1980; it is not the official ceremony on Parliament Hill.© Atlasmio · All rights reserved

In 1980, “O Canada” officially became Canada’s national anthem. The song was first sung in Québec City in 1880, and today it is sung in French and in English.

Look together

When do you sing together with other people?

An idea to try

Listen to “O Canada” in French and in English, then sing together the version you know best.

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

“O Canada” was first sung on June 24, 1880, at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Québec City; Calixa Lavallée wrote the music and Adolphe-Basile Routhier the French words. The best-known English version was written by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908. Parliament passed the National Anthem Act unanimously on June 27, 1980, and the anthem was proclaimed on July 1, 1980, on Parliament Hill. The Act placed the words and music in the public domain. In 2018, after a long debate, the English words were made gender-neutral: “in all thy sons command” became “in all of us command.”

Sing with your child in the language you know, and talk about why people sometimes sing together to feel connected.

Sources and context (3)

These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.

  • Canadian Heritage — Anthems of Canada“O Canada” proclaimed national anthem in 1980, a century after it was first sung in 1880; music by Calixa Lavallée, French lyrics by Adolphe-Basile Routhier; no copyright on the melody and words; 2018 gender-neutral change to the English lyrics.
  • The Canadian Encyclopedia — “O Canada”First performed in Québec City on 24 June 1880; Weir’s English version of 1908; National Anthem Act passed unanimously and assented on 27 June 1980; proclaimed on Parliament Hill on 1 July 1980; gender-neutral amendment in 2018.
  • Justice Laws — National Anthem ActSection 2: “O Canada” is the national anthem of Canada; section 3: its words and music are declared to be in the public domain.

Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.