American firm selling helicopters that 'stand on guard for thee'

A prominent American company denied Thursday it is using one of the most famous lines from Canada's national anthem to help it sell helicopters at the world's most prominent trade fair for the global aerospace industry.

But a Canadian historian said there wouldn't likely be a problem even if Sikorsky Aircraft's use of "We stand on guard for thee" was being used for self-promotion purposes at the Paris Air Show.

"Most democratic countries — I would not want to monkey around with the North Korean national anthem — tolerate this sort of appropriation on national symbolism," Queen's University history professor Duncan McDowall told Postmedia News.

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