CALGARY — A rendition of O Canada in the Blackfoot language at a Calgary Flames game over the weekend has reignited debate online over what languages the national anthem should be performed in, with critics on social media attacking the performance while others praising it.The anthem was performed Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome ahead of a National Hockey League (NHL) matchup between the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes, where the Flames eked out a much-needed 5–4 win..Dilayna Blackhorse’s performance of the anthem was part of the pre-game opening ceremonies and the Siksika Nation singer’s rendition quickly drew mixed reactions on social media.“Okay, this is insane. The anthem should be sung in either English or French,” wrote one user on X.Another commenter described the performance as “cultural Marxism in full effect,” while one user wrote that “it’s not proper multiculturalism until all tokenized groups are forced to perform separately and as a whole.”.An X user suggested a simple solution, stating, “It’s time to stop playing national anthems at sporting events.”Others defended the performance.One Facebook user said the rendition may have been “the best singing of the anthem I’ve ever heard at the games… Beautiful.”“So lucky to have been in the Dome to see it,” another commenter wrote.Canada formally adopted O Canada as the national anthem in 1980 through the National Anthem Act, which recognizes both the English and French lyrics.While those two versions are the official lyrics adopted by Parliament, there is no Canadian law that prohibits the anthem from being performed in other languages.However, debate around changes to lyrics and language has surfaced in recent years..Before Game Three of the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, Grammy-nominated Canadian singer JP Saxe drew widespread criticism for changing the lyric “our home and native land” to “our home on native land.”Canadian R&B singer Jully Black also made the same change when she performed O Canada ahead of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, saying the lyric change was intended to highlight Canada’s history of colonialism and the treatment of indigenous peoples.Another widely discussed performance took place in 2020 when 14-year-old singer Kiyo Bruno of the Samson Cree Nation performed the anthem in Cree before an NHL game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators.The Western Standard has reached out to the Calgary Flames for comment.
