By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

OTTAWA, March 8, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The short-lived proposal to bow to political correctness and exclude the word “sons” from Canada’s national anthem has come to an abrupt end.

Three days after announcing his government’s intent, during the Speech from the Throne last week, to alter ‘O Canada’ to make it more “gender neutral,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said his Conservative government will no longer be pursuing the idea.

According to National Post columnist Don Martin, Harper is said to have initiated the idea on the basis of the advice of a female senator who suggested a public discussion to expunge the offending word.

Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth issued a statement demanding “that the English version of O Canada be restored to include women and girls. The national anthem in English should reflect our constitution and the role that women and girls play in Canada today, not the prejudices of the past.”

The line in question says “True patriot love in all thy sons command,” which is a World War I rephrasing of the original 1908 version, which said “True patriot love thou dost in us command.”

Following the Speech from the Throne, Industry Minister Tony Clement told the media, “The Prime Minister has heard from some Canadians on this and I think it’s better to have a fulsome debate rather than just shuffling it off.”

However, the response from Canadians to leave the anthem alone was quick and forceful, and prompted the PM to abandon the idea.

Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office, said: “We offered to hear from Canadians on this issue and they have already spoken loud and clear.

“They overwhelmingly do not want to open the issue. The government will not proceed any further to change our national anthem.”