Editor: My father, an immigrant, always said to me, “Remember, you were lucky to be born in one of the best countries in the world. Never forget it,” and in later years I had a friend who used to say, “I’ve already won the lottery, I was born in Canada.”
I am proud and grateful to be a Canadian, and I love singing our national anthem.
But the national anthem was meant to be sung, not performed as a pop song, to showcase the performer’s vocal talents, with all kinds of extra notes, flourishes, mini- and demi-quavers, so that an audience can’t join in. Whoever sings it, old or young, amateur or professional, should respect that’s it’s an anthem, a song in praise of our country, not their personal exhibition.
Annie Boulanger, Burnaby
