When did O, Canada officially become the national anthem?

1980 is correct because that’s when Canada’s Parliament passed the National Anthem Act, giving O Canada official status on July 1 (Canada Day). For decades before, Canadians often sang it, but “God Save the Queen” was the official anthem. The tune was composed in 1880 by Calixa Lavallée with French lyrics by Adolphe-Basile Routhier; the widely used English version was written by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908. Memory tip: Think “100 years to official”—first performed in 1880, officially adopted in 1980, and fittingly on Canada’s national holiday. This timeline also explains why earlier dates (1880, 1920, 1950) reflect composition and popular use, not legal adoption.