Canada’s Navy Seeks to Replace Official ‘Heart of Oak’ March, Citing References to ‘Colonialism’

Sailors line the railing on HMCS Sackville, Canada's oldest warship, at the Royal Canadian Navy Change of Command ceremony in Halifax on June 12, 2019. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

The Department of National Defence says the Royal Canadian Navy intends to replace its official musical march over concerns the song’s lyrics do not align with the current values of the armed forces.

The military has been working on replacing the song, inherited from the British Royal Navy, for about four years, the Globe and Mail first reported. According to internal briefing notes, options have been to continue playing the song without the lyrics, to rewrite the lyrics to make them “more inclusive,” or to compose a new march.

“First performed in 1760, ‘Heart of Oak’ contains language that does not align with values and ethos of today’s Royal Canadian Navy or the broader Canadian Armed Forces,” defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin told The Epoch Times in a statement.

Poulin said sailors have expressed “various concerns” about the song in recent years.

The song opens with the lyrics “Come cheer up my lads, tis to glory we steer, To add something new to this wonderful year.” The “wonderful year” is said to be a reference to several military victories by British forces in 1759, including the one against French forces in Quebec City.

“Tis to honour we call you, as free men not slaves, For who are so free as the sons of the waves,” the song continues.

Poulin said the song includes references to “colonialism and slavery, and language that is not representative of all those who serve in today’s Navy.”

“Additionally, ‘Heart of Oak” does not have Canadian roots – it was adopted early in the Royal Canadian Navy’s history from the Royal Navy,” she said. Poulin added the Canadian navy has its own history to be proud of and should have its own march.

The march should recognize “Canadian traditions of naval service and speaks to today’s Navy and its sailors – one that every sailor can be proud of and rally around,” she said.

Some concerns raised in internal briefing notes relate to the language mentioning only men. Today women count for 20.69 percent of the ranks in the Canadian navy.

Poulin said the issue on how to go forward is still under consideration.

Conservative MP James Bezan, his party’s national defence critic, reacted to the news by saying the government should spend its energy on rebuilding the military instead of trying to change its culture.

“Adding a new song is one thing, but our history and tradition should not be erased and traded for woke agendas,” he told The Epoch Times in a statement.

“It is baffling that the Government is seemingly spending years debating changing the Navy’s cherished song, which has been proudly sung throughout the proud and storied history of the Royal Canadian Navy,” he said.

Bezan said the government’s priorities are “misplaced” while the armed forces face a “recruitment crisis” and its equipment is in poor condition.

A spokesperson for the British Royal Navy declined to comment.

The effort by the Royal Canadian Navy to change its official march fits into a broader shift to overhaul the armed forces culture.

Other similar examples include the Chaplain General issuing a new directive in 2023 which prohibits military chaplains from saying a prayer to God during official military functions. The armed forces say such a policy is necessary to adhere to the religious neutrality of the state and to promote diversity and inclusion.