Toronto councillor wants 'thy sons' taken out of O Canada
Ceta Ramkhalawansingh will put forward motion at Monday's council meeting
A Toronto city councillor wants the words of Canada's national anthem changed to include more gender-neutral language.
Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, who was appointed to fill Adam Vaughan's council seat after he won a federal byelection in June, will put forward a motion at Monday's council meeting.
"The national anthem is an important symbol in Canada," Ramkhalawansingh said Friday. "We should all be represented in it. It's a very small change."
Instead of "all thy sons command" Ramkhalawansingh wants the lyrics changed to "in all of us command." Her motion is an endorsement of the "Sing All of Us" campaign, which aims to get the lyrics changed and boasts author Margaret Atwood among its supporters.
Ramkhalawansingh's motion will be part of a crowded agenda on the last full Toronto council meeting before the Oct. 27 municipal election.
Some at city hall, including Mayor Rob Ford, are questioning whether her motion should come before council at all, because it's a federal matter and the city has no power to change the anthem.
The motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass.