I don't know how he did it. It must have taken all the strength still left in his dying body.
His muscles are locking up. By now he probably can't smile or even close his eyes. It's getting harder and harder to breathe.
But somehow Mauril Bélanger made it to the House of Commons for what is almost certainly the last time.
To see his bill to make our national anthem gender neutral advance to its final vote.
And yes, it couldn't have been a more emotional scene.
And sadly the Cons couldn't have been more beastly.
With Peter Van Loan arguing that the equality rights of women should be subject to debate. As only that sexist porker could.
And the religious bigot Brad Trost, fresh from trying to deny the equality rights of gay people, claiming that when the lyrics were changed it was only for "poetic value."
And actually saying this...
Even though the lyrics clearly discriminate against girls and women in this country as I pointed out in this post.
And when the lyrics were changed in 1914, Queen Victoria had been dead for thirteen years.
But then as I said before, that is who the Cons are; bigots, idiots, and the worst and most un-Canadian party this country has ever known.
And they should be ashamed of themselves.
While Mauril Bélanger who served his country with distinction for 21 years can be proud of himself.
Know that his final act of courage will long be remembered.
And that he indeed did live to see his noble dream come true...
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4 comments:
There is no accounting for bad taste and some members of the Conservative Party have it in whatever. The anthem is reflective of another time and place. times have changed and so should the anthem. It took very little to make the anthem gender neutral and as having sung that anthem for "all our sons command", even as I child before gender neutral was a phrase, I thought the anthem was just about the boys, not the girls, so all these later, I'm happy it is changed.
Peter Van Loan and Brad Trost should be happy it is changed, now it includes them. Not just men!!!! FS
hi e.a.f...I think it's worse than bad taste, I think it's more like deliberate cruelty and no class. There should be no debate, other countries have tweaked their anthems to bring then up to date, and so should we. Especially since we are only restoring the original version, and the bill is going to pass whether the Cons like it or not. But that's who they are, and that's why they're not going anywhere...
hi FS...well I'll say this, Van Loan and Trost do deserve each other. But of course, to include them we'd have to include Con hogs. And we do have to draw the line somewhere... ;)
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