A handful of Liberal MPs paying tribute to Canadasa国际传媒檚 newly sa国际传媒� if not quite official sa国际传媒� have hit a sour note with the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Mona Fortier, who succeeded the late Mauril Belanger in the riding of Ottawa-Vanier, led a brief singalong prior to question period to celebrate the change to the anthem, which won Senate approval Wednesday night.
Belanger had championed a bill to change sa国际传媒淚n all thy sons commandsa国际传媒� to sa国际传媒渋n all of us command,sa国际传媒� but it languished for months in the upper chamber following his death in August 2016 before senators finally broke the logjam.
Fortier cheered the breakthrough in a membersa国际传媒檚 statement in the Commons today before leading some of her fellow MPs in a chorus of the new lyric.
Speaker Geoff Regan, however, was unimpressed.
He says singing in the House of Commons is forbidden, except on Wednesdays when all MPs begin the legislative day with a rendition of the national anthem.
Fortier, who won a byelection in Ottawa-Vanier last April, said she was sa国际传媒渉onouredsa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渄elightedsa国际传媒� to watch Belangersa国际传媒檚 Bill C-210 win Senate approval late Wednesday. All that is left is for the bill to receive royal assent from the Governor General.
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sa国际传媒淥ur anthem will very soon be gender neutral, promoting Canadasa国际传媒檚 commitment to the equality of sexes and womensa国际传媒檚 rights,sa国际传媒� she said.
sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 very proud to stand here today and sing along with all of my honourable colleagues: sa国际传媒業n all of us commandsa国际传媒�.sa国际传媒�
Regan, however, was having none of it.
sa国际传媒淎s much as we all appreciate patriotism, I would remind members that wesa国际传媒檙e not here to sing or chant sa国际传媒� except on Wednesdays, of course, when we sing the national anthem,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淚t should be one person at a time. I know members understand that.sa国际传媒�
That was nothing, however, compared to the outrage expressed Wednesday by Conservative senators who had used procedural tactics to stall Belangersa国际传媒檚 bill for more than a year, only to bitterly accuse their independent counterparts of shutting down debate Wednesday to finally force a vote.
Tory senators showed their displeasure by refusing to take part.
In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Larry Smith, the Opposition leader in the Senate, called the tactics of his rivals sa国际传媒渦nprecedentedsa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渋llegitimate.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淲e are, by refusing to endorse these actions, putting the Trudeau government on notice that we will now use all legitimate means available to us allowed for under the rules to restore our right and the right of all Senators to debate in the chamber.sa国际传媒�
The Canadian Press
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