Bonne Fête / Happy Birthday

O Canada, terre de nos aÏeux, (Oh Canada, land of our forefathers)

Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux! ( Your brow is wreathed with a glorious floral garland)

Car ton bras sait porter l'ÉpÉÉ, ( For your arm is ready to wield the sword)

Il sait porter la croix! (And also ready to carry the cross)

Ton histoire est une ÉpopÉÉ (Your history is an epic)

Des plus brillants exploits. (Of the most brilliant exploits)

Et ta valeur, de foi trempÉe (Your valour steeped in faith)

ProtÉgera nos foyers et nos droits (Will protect our homes and our rights)

ProtÉgera nos foyers et nos droits. (Will protect our homes and our rights)

A show of hands please from everyone who already knew that the National Anthem appearing above (with a translation) was composed in French in 1880 and is one of our two official "Oh Canada" versions.

The Honourable ThÉodore Robitaille, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec in 1880 asked Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier to write a poem for the CongrÈs national des Canadiens-FranÇais to be held on June 24. He also commissioned the brilliant composer, Calixa LavallÉe, to create the music for Routhier's poem. The result was the tune we know today as "Oh Canada".

That first performance was well received, but the piece was not officially acknowledged as a national anthem. That acknowledgement didn't happen for another century.

In the meantime, English-speaking Canadians too wanted our country to have an official anthem and many persons tried their hands at writing one. Robert Stanley Weir, a Montreal lawyer who later became a judge, wrote a 4-stanza poem in honour of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. His poem was later published as part of Canada's 60th birthday celebrations in 1927 and again when King George vi and Queen Elizabeth visited in 1939. It was sung to the tune LavallÉe had written for Routhier's poem, and it was authorised for schools and public events. However, it was not named Canada's official anthem.

In 1967, Canada acquired the copyright for LavallÉe's musical composition, now to become the National Anthem of Canada, and a committee was struck to study Judge Weir's lyrics. When rights to those lyrics were acquired in 1970, the committee recommended the changes we are all familiar with now. Weir's original first stanza appears below.

Oh Canada

Our home and native land

True patriot love thou dost in us command.

We see thee rising fair, Dear Land

The True North strong and free;

And stand on guard, Oh Canada

We stand on guard for thee.

Finally, on July 1, 1980, the Governor General, the Right Honourable Edward Schreyer announced that an Act of Parliament has made "Oh Canada" an official symbol of the country. The modified first stanza of Weir's poem, in tandem with the original version of Routhier's, became the official lyrics of our National Anthem.

Happy bilingual Canada Day, Everyone!