Donald Trump's repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state has inspired a surge of patriotism north of the 49th parallel, ranging from national pride to a general "fuck-you" attitude towards all things American. For hockey fans, this unprovoked antagonism reached a crescendo at last night's Canada vs. USA hockey game — something that inspired Chantal Kreviazuk to change the lyrics to "O Canada."
Kreviazuk sang the anthem in Boston, MA, at the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament. Instead of "in all of us command," she altered the lyric to a more independence-asserting line: "True patriot love that only us command."
The anthem was loudly booed — the latest example of both Canadian and American audiences booing the other country's anthem.
Kreviazuk subsequently posted on Instagram, confirming that the lyric change was intentional and that she even wrote the words on her hand so she would remember them.
"I truly believe that we must stand up, use our voices and try to protect ourselves," she wrote on Instagram. "We should express our outrage in the face of any abuses of power. I was raised in part by music that was inspired by brave voices committed to peaceful conflict resolution."
See her full statement below. Canada ended up winning the game 3–2 in overtime.