Laurier university to restore O Canada at grad ceremonies after decolonization purge

After a controversial removal in 2025, Wilfrid Laurier University is bringing O Canada back to its graduation ceremonies this fall.

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After a controversial removal in 2025, Wilfrid Laurier University is bringing O Canada back to its graduation ceremonies this fall.

In a September 3 email to faculty member Brian F. Smith, Laurier president and vice-chancellor Deborah MacLatchy confirmed the national anthem "will be a part of the convocation ceremonies" starting in October.

The message, posted publicly by the campus-based Laurier Heterodox Academy group on X, comes after months of debate on the decision to drop the anthem.

Laurier HxA noted the 2024 convocation ceremony included a land acknowledgement, while the 2025 anthem was replaced by a "Thanksgiving Address," partly delivered in a non-official language.

The group argued the change underscored the need for "open discussion and public debate regarding indigenization and decolonization, presumably the ideologies motivating the anthem's removal."

Nineteen faculty members had signed a letter urging the university to restore O Canada as "a unifying civic expression." They argued that removing the anthem from convocation ceremonies undermined a long-standing tradition and ignored its role as a shared national symbol.

MacLatchy's email did not address the reasons behind the original removal, but she thanked those who raised concerns and said she looked forward to seeing colleagues and graduates at the October ceremonies.

The Laurier HxA account on X argued that the decision to bring back O Canada shows that “public pressure and principled debate can safeguard common civic traditions.”