A small minority of atheists, agnostics, secularists and humanists would like to see the reference to God taken out of our national anthem. They must plead guilty to profound ignorance of our roots and should be intellectually honest enough to study our history and discover just how rich our Judeo-Christian heritage really is.
For example are they aware of how we became to be known as the "Dominion" of Canada. Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Premier of New Brunswick, member of John A. Macdonald's first federal cabinet in 1867, and one of the Fathers of Confederation, having read Psalm 72:8 was impressed with the phrase "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea" and convinced the 33 fathers of Confederation gathered in Charlottetown to call us the Dominion of Canada which the fathers accepted and which is still enshrined in our coat of arms.
In commemorating the founding of Montreal in 1533 Jacques Cartier wrote in his diary "…we all kneeled down in the company of the Indians and with our hands raised toward heaven yielded our thanks to God." The "Father of New France," Samuel de Champlain, disclosed in his diary his great conviction that the natives should be brought to"the knowledge of God." Explorer and explorer David Thomson developed maps between 1784 and 1812, many of which are still being used, for the express purpose of making Christianity known across this nation. In more recent times The Canadian Bill of Rights introduced by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1960 affirmed Canada to be founded upon principles that acknowldedge the supremacy of God and in 1981 Pierre Elliott Trudeau signed his name to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which begins with "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of the law."
The vast majority of Canadians are duly proud of our rich heritage and want the reference to God to remain in our national anthem, Charter and other Canadian institutions.
Gerald Hall
Parksville, B.C.
