OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is rejecting calls from a former New Brunswick school principal who stopped the daily playing of "O Canada," to oust a member of his cabinet.

Erik Millett said Friday that Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson should be fired unless he apologizes for comments made earlier this year criticizing the anthem decision.

PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas told The Canadian Press that Harper stands by Thompson and does not intend to dismiss him from cabinet.

In an email, Soudas also said the government "makes no apologies" for being proud of the national anthem.

Earlier this year, Thompson told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that Millett is "proving he has no appreciation for the sensitivity of some issues."

Millett said if Thompson fails to apologize within a week, and Harper refuses to fire him, he'll sue the veterans affairs minister for defamation of character.