Nancy Ruth fights for national anthem equality

I have a new story today on the national page of Xtra.ca, about how Senator Nancy Ruth has been one of the driving figures behind the attempt to restore the 1908 version of our national anthem because of its gender-neutral language. Many of you may know that I interview the Senator on a regular basis for my Thoughts From the Hill panel in Outlooks, but it's always nice to have a bit of a one-on-one with her, especially on an issue that she's passionate about.

One passage that didn't make it into the final version, but was still pretty powerful, was this:

“It’s difficult for people who have power to share it, and in this instance, it’s all thy sons. It’s also true, as a wonderful Roman Catholic Nun, Rosemary Bradford Reuther, once said, that language is the power of the ruling class to interpret reality in their own terms and to make invisible all others. And I remember reading that in one of her books in the ’70s, and I’ve never forgotten it – how powerful language can be. It is still a serious issue.”

What was especially memorable about this interview was that it was conducted on the floor of the Senate chamber, sitting at the desk next to Senator Nancy Ruth's, which was an amazing and awesome experience.