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The Liberal government is keen to pass the bill that would make the national anthem gender-neutral before Canada’s 150th birthday on July 1. The legislation, which would change the words from “thy sons” to “of us,” passed through the House of Commons almost one year ago but it is still languishing in the Senate.

It’s not the only bill mired in the Red Chamber. The government’s legislative agenda has slowed to the pace of coastal erosion, in part because dozens of new Liberal-appointed “independent” senators want to show they are not beholden to Justin Trudeau, but mainly because the 38 remaining Conservative senators are intent on gumming up the works.

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Peter Harder, the government’s representative in the Senate, said recently they “are on the precipice of adopting” the new version of the anthem. But the bill has been at third reading for the past two months.

The last time it came up for debate, Yonah Martin, the Senate deputy opposition leader, rose to say: “It’s my birthday and I would ask the chamber to indulge me by adjourning debate at this time.” The chamber obliged.