Canada's House of Commons has voted to render the country's national anthem gender neutral.

The legislation to change "O Canada" still requires the approval of the Senate. The bill changes the second line of the anthem from "true patriot love, in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."

It passed 225-74 Wednesday in the House of Commons.

The change was proposed by ailing Liberal lawmaker Mauril Belanger, who was diagnosed last November with Lou Gehrig's disease and may not live to see it become law.

As the vote began, Liberal lawmakers stood and applauded Belanger, who sat in the House in his wheelchair. Belanger's disease is a particularly aggressive version of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS.

The opposition Conservatives opposed the bill.