I do not feel sorry for him, but I also think that he is one heck of a guy for standing by this decision. He did not make this decision alone. It was a team decision, but at no point in the interview did he hide behind the other members of his entire staff that supported this decision. He is not hiding from any of the critisim. He did not even hide behind the parents that forced him to make this difficult decision. He could have easily named these parents, but chose not to. He is behaving like a real man given the situation. Ya, maybe he teared up a bit in the interview, but have you ever been physically threatened by someone or a group of people and then been asked to publicly explain the gorry details of the event. It would not be easy.

Thank you Tammy! Common sense still prevails. I did NOT grow up with any religion, but I am now a Christian and there are many things our family does not participate in by choice. I will never expect rules to change for me or my children. If an activity doesn't suit me, then they just don't participate plain and simple. THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND ME OR ANY ONE PERSON.

Two sets of parents complained! How many didn't? We live in a democratic country. Obviously the majority of parents did not object. But Millet took the position of the two families that opposed it. What a moron. Maybe he should have explained what those childrens options were instead. What ever happened to common sense? Sing, don't sing, change or skip the opposing words, leave the room, leave the country... see, lots of options!

The squeaky wheel AWAYS get what they want!

Tammy wrote: "These parents should have been named and received the same feedback Millett did - it if anything to be reminded that "accommodation" works boths ways."

Received the same feedback? Do you realize that he received DEATH THREATS? and was threatened physically? Yes the parents need to be educated, but surely not threatened with death? or physical harm?

The CBC airs an interview and he plays the "victim". What the hell was he thinking..If these parents objected to "O Canada" then there is a simple solution...home school...I am tired of these whiney liberal left wing nutjobs trying to get the rest of us to kiss there colletive behinds just because they don't agree with us...Screw them..and while we are at it, lets trim the 120 million dollars in the federal budget for "cultural programs" and the 200 million we feed the pigs at the CBC

I can't believe for 1 second, that this guy has gotten so much grief for all this. As a father of a girl that just started school, when I first went to look at the school, talked to the principle, met the teachers and other staff, etc. my main focus was the environment she was going to be spending half her day in, the type of education she'd recieve, and the type of people who be caring for her. It never occured to me, whether or not they sing the national anthem or not. It never occured to me because, I dont care. Dont get me wrong, I am a proud Canadian. On the weekends I have her, we watch hockey together and we sing the national anthem when its played. with all the crap going on these days, I think this is and has blossomed into a complete joke. I wonder if these cowards who've been threatning this guy, sing that anthem with their kids at home? i highly doubt it. To get this steamed over something so minor is ridiculous. A bunch of people who had nothing to complain about, picked this.

Can someone please explain to me why a national anthem and religion (any religion) come into conflict?

I am willing to do some accommodation, but I don't see why I should go along with offering you protection, safety nets, schooling and all the social programs that are part of the country.... if you disagree with what my country stands for so much that you refuse such a simple thing as a anthem....which is supposed to tie the group, the people, the country together.

I am pleased with the outcome on this situation. I am a member of a religious faith but never would expect the public to accommodate my beliefs that in any way interfered with their day to day lives, let alone tried to trump national practices such as singing of the anthem. Our typical Canadian willingness to accommodate has been a death by a thousand cuts of many of our values, as more and more extreme and outrageous actions such as this have occurred.

I hope this is the beginning of a change in the long line of accommodations both in the courts and in the general public to certain minority faiths or any faith or believe system for that matter. I fear, however that if this case had involved one of the more currently prominent minority faiths, the reaction, at least in some of the media, would have been different. Is it just because the religion of the parents here was not one of the more "popular" or ardent minority faiths, that this reversal was permitted?

Think about it.

To the person who asked how the Canadian national anthem and religion come into conflict:

I don't know on what grounds the two sets of parents made the request BUT I am going to guess that the part of the song that says "GOD, keep our land, glorious and free....." might have something to do with it.

How many schools in this country actually sing the national anthem every morning? Where's the outrage towards the thousands of schools who don't? The hillbilly conservative politicians in Ottawa who went on and on about this teacher supposedly 'banning' the national anthem are cut from the same mentally challenged cloth as the hillbillies who threatened this man for doing his job and making a decision that's obviously been made many many times before in schools from coast to coast without death threats or even a raised eyebrow in most cases.

It used to be that we Canadians could be proud of our country without sinking to the sickening jingoism and 'We're #1!' flag waving that is so annoying from so many Americans. It's interesting that so many of the right wing conservative hotheads in this country all of the sudden want to act like stereotypical ignorant Americans.

Do I feel sorry for Erik Millett? Yeah I do, because nobody deserves that kind of treatment...clearly the residents of his town don't deserve a man with his integrity running thier school. For all of you who would question my patriotism and excuse the haters and politicans, I love my country...it's your ignorant ass I could do without.

Poor Erik Millett, he as a victum of human ignorance. He DID NOT BAN or STOP the singing of the anthem, he simpley MOVED IT to A MONTH instead of DAILY. It's the news who make him out to be a criminal, he DID NOT BAN AND STOP THE ANTHEM. Get that through your thick heads. I think it's pretty sad that people are threating him. If you ask me they are the morons to be immature enough to do that. It's just a freakn' anthem. If you guys have a problem go yell at every other school who doesn't play it at all.

Not only do I feel sorry for Erik Millett, but I also feel sorry for you.

You said the following -

"I no longer practice or am an active member of the religion, but I have no hard feelings towards it either. "

and

"Last night Millett was interviewed by the CBC, seemingly still trying to justify his decision, and moaning, even crying a bit, about the angry feedback he received from across the country."

and

"Erik Millett doesn't deserve any sympathy ......."

My comments -

1) You're a person without feelings.

2) The word 'god' and the one-gender reference don't belong in the national anthem.

3) The majority is not always right. Examples: Stalinism, Nazism, any period of U. S. history before the Civil Rights Act, and many many other examples where minority rights were crushed.

You should -

4) Get a heart

5) Broaden your viewpoint by educating yourself

6) Read this - what I posted on a CBC webpage this morning -

"I can't believe some of the incredibly ignorant, not to mention xenophobic, comments here. Such hatred!

Principal Millet never wanted to ban the National Anthem. Some of you people should read the real story.

When I was a child in the 60's we only sang the national anthem during weekly assemblies. Back then the song didn't have the word 'god' in it.

In the 80's, due to pressure from religious people, the word 'god' was inserted and thus our national anthem was turned into more a religious song than a song celebrating our love for our country. Since I'm not religious I just can't sing our anthem anymore. Did you know that for many years, our national anthem didn't have any religious or gender references in it? Get rid of the word 'god', and the male reference, and I can sing my own national anthem again.

When I was a child our teacher read out parts of the bible daily to us kids, every morning. And we had to recite the Lord's Prayer, every morning. It meant nothing to me and, as I got older, I grew to resent the indoctrination. I went to a public school, not a religious school.

In high school one of my homeroom teachers forced us to stand up and pray. I refused. The teacher told me if I didn't want to participate I had to stand outside the classroom until the rest of the class finished their prayer. That's what I did.

There's nothing like being cast out because you don't want to be assimilated into believing something you don't believe in. Why didn't people pray at home, or in church, and not force it on everyone else?

Why don't religious people respect people who aren't religious. I was glad when they banned prayers and bible reading in public schools here.

And why should I, or any other Canadian 'leave', as some of the people posted here? Don't you believe in diversity? I was born and raised in Canada and I love my country.

And what's the fanaticism about singing the national anthem every single day? Who here sings it everyday?

Principal Millet was screwed alive by some of you people. Nothing like a modern inquisition, eh? And he even got death threats? Unbelievable!

And to those people who go on and on about Canadian culture - how many of you adopted native Indian culture? They were the first Canadians, you know. Oh, I forgot, the first europeans assimilated them.

I happen to like the diverse community I live in, in Beautiful British Columbia.

and

I AM CANADIAN"

written as posted on http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/01/28/nb-o-canada.html...

Peace

I've never been forced to sing any national anthem at school or anywhere else for that matter. While my opinion about this "song" is just that "my opinion" I feel patriotism shouldn't be hoisted onto the shoulders of children. Until you have the maturity and intellectual ability to make well-reasoned decisions (regarding political or social matters), something like 18 years of age (works for voting, military service) one shouldn't have to swallow rhetoric in the form of a national anthem. Personally I love having grown up in Canada, and, while I've no problem saying that, I also am not naive about some of the problems we've come through and are currently experiencing as a country. Swearing allegiance, singing anthems, and learning about a history that is not informed by critical thinking seems kind of like blind patriotism to me. Not a healthy choice. I don't know if accomadating a minority is the issue, for me, forcing children to swallow rhetoric which they have little understanding of IS the issue.

Erik Millett should be applauded for his courageous effort to protect minority rights. The Canadians who responded so viciously against Millett and minority rights (especially those who threatened Millett with violence, and those who used this situations as an excuse to go off on anti-immigrant tirades -"conform or go back where you came from") should be ashamed of themselves. Patriotism has been a significant part of this dicussion and I personally believe that the numerous Canadians who attacked Millett with such willing ignorance (e.g. it was often repeated that he had banned O Canada) and incredible vehemence were the ones violating Canadian values- not Mr. Millett.