Canadian anthem singer explains why she intentionally changed lyrics of ‘O Canada’

Ahead of the riveting showdown in which Connor McDavid played the country’s hero, scoring at 8:18 of overtime as Canada defeated the United States 3-2, ‘O Canada’ anthem singer Chantal Kreviazuk took the stage and reportedly changed the lyrics of tonight’s anthem on purpose as a way to stick it to Donald Trump and the current U.S. political administration.

Last night, CBC reported :

“Chantal Kreviazuk, the Grammy-nominated singer from Winnipeg, changed the lyrics to ‘O Canada’ at the 4 Nations Face-Off game against the United States on Thursday to sing “that only us command” instead of “in all of us command.”

“A representative confirmed in an email to CBC News that the switch was intentional in response to the annexation rhetoric coming from the U.S.

On Friday morning, Chantal Kreviazuk took to Instagram to explain why she intentionally changed the lyrics, not only sticking it up to the United States, but also all of her haters:

“hey everyone.. thank you so much for all the love and support. what a game. and what an experience! To be clear I am fine with the haters. they’re mostly bots. i get how this works. i feel only all your incredible passion for our country and your kindness. i want you to know that i didn’t plan this or plot at all… i was honoured to get the gig! During soundcheck I sang the wrong words “in all thy sons command” out of habit and when i analyzed the new line i thought wow- this could mean something so pertinent to our country in this moment with a change in just two words, three syllables. i didn’t dream that such an effect would be had by deciding to go out there and do it. But it really felt like the right thing to do.

"here is the thing. art to me is an expression of our truth. the anthem is not a lawful document. it is an expression of the collective, and it changes from time to time when the moment demands it should. So yes. in this very peculiar and potentially consequential moment i truly believe that we must stand up, use our voices and try to protect ourselves… no - 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.

"Canada , not unlike ukraine is a sovereign nation. period. we have a culture individual to others. we are united in our values. we care. we’re kind. We are strong.”

Fans in Boston, MA still boo’ed the signing of ‘O Canada’ prior to puck drop, however, as you can tell, Kreviazuk does not care. She only cares about her country.