The Canada flag on the Peace Tower is lit up by morning light on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. A new poll suggests only one third of Canadians support the city of Mississauga, Ont., proposing to ask the Federal government to change the lyrics of the national anthem, O Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A new poll suggests only a third of Canadians support a proposal from Mississauga, Ont., to ask the federal government to change the lyrics of the national anthem.
The proposed resolution would ask Ottawa to alter the line that reads “O Canada! Our home and native land” to “O Canada! Our home on native land.”
Market research firm Leger surveyed 1,525 people between June 7 and 11, asking whether they support the proposal.
The results suggest 33 per cent of Canadians support changing the anthem, with 48 per cent opposed, and 19 per cent saying they don’t know. The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.
Juno-winning R&B singer Jully Black made the one-word change during a performance of the NBA All-Star Game in February, to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples who lived on the land before European settlers.
Mississauga city council has deferred its vote on a motion that would ask Ottawa to make the change.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2023
