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O Canada
National anthem of Canada / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"O Canada" (French: Ô Canada) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French-language words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.
![]() Official bilingual sheet music | |
National anthem of Canada | |
Also known as | French: Ô Canada |
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Lyrics | Adolphe-Basile Routhier (French, 1880), Robert Stanley Weir (English, 1908) |
Music | Calixa Lavallée, 1880 |
Adopted | July 1, 1980 |
Audio sample | |
Instrumental rendition by the US military's Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band | |
The original French lyrics were translated to English in 1906.[1] Multiple English versions ensued, with Robert Stanley Weir's 1908 version (which was not a translation of the French lyrics) gaining the most popularity; the Weir lyrics eventually served as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament.[1] Weir's English-language lyrics have been revised three times, most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender) was enacted in 2018.[2] The French lyrics remain unaltered.
"O Canada" had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming the country's national anthem in 1980 when Canada's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day (today's Canada Day) celebrations.[1][3]