What is Canada's national anthem?

O Canada is the national anthem, adopted as the official anthem on July 1, 1980 under the National Anthem Act. The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée and the original French lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier for a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony in Quebec City on June 24, 1880, exactly one hundred years before the song became official.

The English lyrics most Canadians know today were adapted by Robert Stanley Weir, a Montreal lawyer and judge, in 1908. Weir's text went through several revisions across the twentieth century, and the version Parliament made official in 1980 begins 'O Canada! Our home and native land!'. In February 2018 Parliament passed Bill C-210, replacing 'in all thy sons command' with 'in all of us command' to make the line gender-neutral.

Before 1980, God Save the Queen and The Maple Leaf Forever were both used as de facto anthems on civic occasions. The choice of O Canada reflected the country's bilingual identity: it had been written in French and translated into English, and its melody had been played at Canadian government functions and royal visits throughout the twentieth century. The Royal Anthem of Canada, separate from the national anthem, remains God Save the King.

The anthem is sung at citizenship ceremonies, sporting events, school assemblies, and on Remembrance Day. New citizens take the Oath of Citizenship and then sing O Canada as their first formal act as Canadians, which is why the words and melody appear in every edition of the federal study guide Discover Canada.