Also, it bothers me that Canada considers itself so multicultural and diverse, and yet we mention God in our national anthem.
The tune isn't very nice either.
The mention of God could be argued as a historical reference as can the part about the "native land" (Native American.) Keep in mind this was a song written in 1880. (Edit: Not that I'm an expert on Canadian history but I don't think the multicultural angle was well used in the 1880 if at all.)
I kind of like the national anthem personally. There's something nice in the simplicity of it and I particularly like the line "the true, north, strong, and free."
No, our national anthem has been changed since then. The original version was in French…that version, as I said, is far more meaningful. The English version is NOT a translation of the original song, and the words have been changed a couple times since the first English version was written…the last time being in 1980. That was when the line about God was added.
I really don't know why we don't just use a translated version of the French one. Maybe the syllables don't all fit properly or something.
Actually, now that I'm looking this stuff up, apparently there were several other stanzas originally written for the English version that aren't actually included in our official anthem. They're a lot more related to Canada, though they have religious references as well(understandable, as they were written around 1910).
This is one of those verses:
O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea.
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!
See, I think we should use something like that.