The singer performing the Canadian national anthem ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament championship game altered the lyrics during her performance, using the anthem to respond to President Donald Trump's repeated assertions about Canadian statehood.
Chantal Kreviazuk changed a lyric in "O Canada" from "in all of us command" to "that only us command," with publicist Adam Gonshor confirming that she did so to voice opposition to Trump repeatedly saying that Canada should become a US state, according to the Associated Press.
Chantal Kreviazuk owning Trump by changing the line “True patriot love in all of us command” to “True patriot love, that only us command” is better than any hidden message Kendrick Lamar had at the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/m0PvA8MIX5
— Brent Bellamy (@brent_bellamy) February 21, 2025
Kreviazuk told AP she did it "because I believe in democracy, and a sovereign nation should not have to be defending itself against tyranny and fascism."
"I'm somebody who grew up on music that spoke to the heart and the moment, and it shaped me as a songwriter and really as a human being," she added. "I don't think it would be authentic to me to be given a world stage and not express myself and be true to myself."
Furthermore, Kreviazuk wrote the phrase "that only us command" on the back of her hand with makeup, posting an image of the slogan to social media alongside emojis of the Canadian flag.
"I just put it on there so if I ever had a moment and I kind of froze, I would be able to look at my hand and see it," Kreviazuk told the outlet. "I'd love to see people sort of get inspired and catch the fire and say their heart more in their art. ... Sometimes you just got to speak the truth in your art and it's awesome. That's what it should be about."
President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his goal of making Canada the 51st US state, stating that the nation could avoid tariffs being levied on them by agreeing to join forces.
As Kreviazuk began singing, scattered boos could be heard from American fans present, but were soon drowned out by her voice.
"Sounds like President Trump is worried about the outcome of the hockey game," David McGuinty, Canada's Public Safety Minister, told reporters. "Canada is a sovereign and independent country. It has been for over 150 years and will remain so. This discussion of 51st state is a non-starter."
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