O Canada

When the first familiar chords of “O Canada” play at schools, hockey games and other events, Canadians stand with pride in honour of their country. Proclaimed to be Canada’s national anthem on July 1, 1980, “O Canada” was first sung in French 100 years earlier.

four verses
In 1901, it was apparently sung by schoolchildren in Toronto for the visit of the Duke of Cornwall and York, the future King George V. Thomas B. Richardson translated two of the four verses from Routhier’s lyrics.

Originally called ‘Chant National’, O Canada! was written as a patriotic song for French Canada in 1880. However, realizing that they didn’t have enough time to organize a competition, the Convention formed a music committee in charge of producing a song.

Calixa Lavallée
Adolphe-Basile RouthierRobert Stanley Weir
O Canada/Lyricists

July 1, 1980
R. Stanley Weir’s “O Canada” was accepted as the official English language version on July 1, 1980, a hundred years after the French version was performed for the first time. Weir’s text was changed slightly as Pierre Trudeau’s government added the lyrics “God keep our land glorious and free!”

From Canada Day celebrations to hockey matches, Canadians are well familiar with the tune and lyrics of the country’s national anthem, O Canada. From its original language to the (relatively recent) date it achieved official status, the true story behind O Canada is ripe with trivia.

As you may know, the French-speaking population of Canada is concentrated in the province of Quebec. About 22% of Canadians speak French as their first language. And of those, around 85-95% are Quebecois. Unsurprisingly, most of the other French speakers live in the areas surrounding Quebec itself, notably Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta.

The most common way to learn French in Canada is at a language school. Courses at language schools in Canada will be tailored to your language level, and typically be offered as morning or all-day classes, Monday through Friday.

By the Official Languages Act in 1969, Canada recognized English and French as having equal status in the government of Canada. While French, with no specification as to dialect or variety, has the status of one of Canada’s two official languages at the federal government level, English is the native language of the majority of Canadians.

French Canadians are descendants of Canada’s colonial-era French settlers. Most live in the province of Quebec, where they form a majority of the population. The past thirty-five years have seen a strong rebirth of the French Canadians’ sense of cultural identity.