Experts from the University of Waterloo are available to speak on the recent announcement that senate has passed a bill to make O Canada Lyrics gender neutral:
Shannon Dea – Philosophy, Women’s Studies
Shannon Dea is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies, and the author of the 2016 book, Beyond the Binary: Thinking About Sex and Gender. She researches sex and gender categories, equity issues, and applied ethics issues related to gender.
"Updating the national anthem so that it is truly an anthem for the whole population is long overdue. By updating the lyrics to reflect changing Canadian values, we keep the anthem a living document rather than a static 'museum piece'.”
– Shannon Dea
Kristina Llewellyn – Social Development Studies
Kristina Llewellyn is an Associate Professor of Social Development Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo. Llewellyn is a lead researcher with the Equity Knowledge Network, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Her interests and expertise focus on gender, education, democracy, and history.
“Gender neutral wording for Canada’s national anthem is a necessary step for any modern democracy. This anthem originally included ‘us’ and was changed to ‘sons’ following WWI. Canada joins several other countries working toward more inclusive anthem lyrics.”
– Kristina Llewellyn
