Rufus Wainwright Draws Backlash for O Canada Change

At Dodger Stadium before Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 30, dual U.S.-Canadian singer Rufus Wainwright altered the English lyric of "O Canada" from "in all of us command" to "that only us command" and performed the anthem in both English and French. The tweak was widely interpreted as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s earlier "51st state" comments about Canada and prompted social-media backlash and criticism that altering the anthem was disrespectful. Supporters and some performers defended such lyric changes as political protest or acknowledgements of Indigenous land, and commentators noted the move followed similar tweaks by Canadian artists including Chantal Kreviazuk, JP Saxe and Jully Black. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6–1 in Game 5, and Game 6 was scheduled in Toronto the following day.