Canadian linguists and editors are not pleased.
Words using British spellings have suddenly appeared in documents published by the Canadian government.
Gone was the “ize” construction standard in Canadian English in favor of the “ise” spelling used in British English. So “emphasize” became “emphasise,” and “trade liberalization” became “trade liberalisation.”
“At first we thought it was an aberration,” said John Chew, the editor of a forthcoming Canadian English dictionary being produced with the help of the Society for Canadian English.
But the examples continued to pile up, both in a recent news release and, perhaps more notably, the federal budget, a document that lays out Canada’s economic blueprint. It has gotten significant attention at a moment when the country is locked in a trade war with the United States.
Hundreds of words were spelled the British way: “de-industrialisation,” “amortisation,” “catalyse,” “digitalisation” and so on.
The choice undermines Canadian English, a group of linguists and editors said in an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney this month. They noted that the English adopted by Canada has been used by the federal government for half a century.
Mr. Carney, 60, was the governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, the only foreigner to hold the post, causing some to wonder whether that had an influence on the creeping British spellings. His office did not respond to a request for comment and, thus, did not give insight into what could be behind the changes.
“Canadian English spelling must continue to be used in all communications and publications in the federal government,” the letter said. “It’s a matter of our national history.”
The English spellings used in Canada have long straddled two worlds, British and American.
In their letter, the writers noted that Canadian English is a “distinctive national variety of English recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.’’
“Canadian English evolved here and represents a unique aspect of our culture,” the letter said. “It is one of the practices woven through our everyday lives that make us Canadian.”
And, the editors and linguists added, remaining loyal to Canadian English is the “simplest way to take an ‘elbows up’ stance.” That is a reference to a hockey term Mr. Carney used this year to underscore the country’s resistance to President Trump’s volley of tariffs and his stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.
“Spelling is not necessarily a sensational topic,” said Kaitlin Littlechild, the president of Editors Canada, one of the letter’s signatories and the executive director of an Indigenous editors nonprofit. “But given the political climate we’re in and the tensions that we live with right now, in terms of our national identity, I hope that it’s given some consideration.”
Canadian spellings evolved as waves of immigrants from English-speaking European countries settled in Canada, along with French and Indigenous influences that are reflected in words like “toque,” or a beanie; and “kayak,” which comes from Indigenous languages.
In an informal survey this year, Canadians were asked to choose a word of the year. The winner? “Maplewashing,” or the practice (properly spelled the Canadian way, of course) of making something appear more Canadian than it actually is, especially in the context of marketing products for sale to Canadians.
Mr. Carney’s government seems to be reverse-maplewashing, said Mr. Chew, the editor of the upcoming Canadian English Dictionary and one of the authors of the letter sent to the prime minister.
“I feel a little bit let down by the prime minister’s office or whoever is editing the communiqués that go out,” said Mr. Chew, “when they don’t back up their patriotic ‘elbows up’ speech with the use of proper Canadian English.”
Vjosa Isai is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Toronto, where she covers news from across Canada.
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