For 12 years of my life, I stood up nearly every morning as some version of the Canadian anthem played over the speakers at my Ontario school. Like most of the other kids in my classes, I was silent, mind elsewhere, waiting for it to be over so I could sit down and focus on more important things. Since my last day of high school, I can count on one hand how many times I've heard the anthem. On the most recent occasion I can remember, at the graduation ceremony for my masters degree, I remained seated. I've now forgotten words that were once seared into my memory. They've been replaced by Canadian things I find to be more important, such as Drake lyrics. I'm happy about that, because I wish I wasn't subjected to that daily blast of mindless patriotism in a place ostensibly dedicated to learning.

SelectStock via Getty Images

Unfortunately, my experience in school isn't unique — there's no set policy nationwide, but the majority of provinces have regulations that promote the anthem in schools in one way or another, many of them requiring public schools to play "O Canada" to either start or finish the day. The exact reason given by each of these provinces for their decision varies, but they hinge on patriotism. According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, for example, the anthem is played in order to "nurture allegiance to Canada and to contribute to the social, moral, and spiritual development of the pupils." This means playing the anthem each day serves an explicit political purpose, even by the government's admission. The anthem itself is inherently political, which is why people have led campaigns to try to change the lyrics — focusing on the fact that it wasn't gender neutral, erases Indigenous people and promotes God in a supposedly secular society — and reactionaries have melted down every time. A chauvinistic song that celebrates a state built on the genocide of Indigenous people should be discarded entirely, but barring that, it shouldn't be pushed on students, many of whom are too young to critically engage with the lyrics. Surely even conservatives, who think using the word "penis" in elementary school sex-ed classes is part of an inappropriate political agenda, can see how this is true. Patriotism holds back critical thought. Sure, the government, which has a vested interest in promoting allegiance to itself, pays for school. But school shouldn't be regarded as an opportunity for patriotic inculcation any more than other public services. The government also pays for health care and waste management. And yet, we aren't forced to stand up with other sick patients in waiting rooms, wailing out the lyrics through sore throats before seeing a doctor. We don't have to salute sanitation workers before they take our trash, although they deserve it more than the anthem. Moreover, forced patriotism in school via the anthem is potentially more inappropriate than if it was mandated for many other public services. This is because patriotism holds back critical thought, which the school system should promote.

Danielle Donders via Getty Images