Rufus Wainwright made headlines for changing the lyrics to Canada’s national anthem, O Canada, before Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Canadian-American musician performed the anthem in both English and French, but his rendition included notable alterations. Wainwright, 52, modified the second line of the anthem from “True patriot love in all of us command” to “True patriot love that only us command.” This change echoes a similar adjustment made by Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk during a performance at a hockey event in Boston earlier this year. Kreviazuk’s alteration was a response to comments made by former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Canada, which she felt warranted a stand for Canadian sovereignty. As Wainwright continued his bilingual performance, he also adjusted the French lyrics. Instead of the official line “Car ton bras sait porter l’épée” (For your arm knows how to wield the sword), he appeared to omit the word “sait,” changing it to “For your arm wield the sword.” He further modified the next line, altering “Ton histoire est une épopée/Des plus brillants exploits” (Your history is an epic/of brilliant deeds) to “tes glorieux exploits” (of your glorious deeds). The performance drew immediate backlash on social media. Critics expressed their disappointment with Wainwright’s changes. Lisa MacCormack Raitt, a former Canadian MP, tweeted, “Stop changing the damn lyrics to O Canada.” Elia Markos, a Montreal radio host, remarked, “The good news was that Wainwright elected to do the bilingual version. The bad news: The guy doesn’t know the lyrics.” Julian McKenzie, a writer for The Athletic, described Wainwright’s performance as “objectively one of the worst renditions I’ve ever heard.” Toronto-based writer Dan Levy questioned why Major League Baseball and the Dodgers could not find more capable singers, referencing another recent performance by Canadian singer JP Saxe, who altered the anthem’s lyrics just days earlier. In Ottawa, Senators season ticket holder Scott Scarrow humorously suggested that the Toronto Blue Jays should find someone to mess up the U.S. anthem in the upcoming Game 6. The Blue Jays have not yet announced who will perform the anthem on Friday, but Canadian children’s musician Raffi Cavoukian offered his services on social media, stating, “Dear @bluejays, I’ll be in Toronto on Friday and I’m ready and able to sing our anthem if needed.” The Blue Jays won the game against the Dodgers 6-1, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at Rogers Centre in Toronto, with a potential Game 7 on Saturday if necessary.