US EditionLinguists Urge Mark Carney to Drop British Spellings
Six linguists and editors warn that British spellings in government documents risk confusing Canadian identity and urge consistent use of Standard Canadian English to preserve national pride.
- Six linguists and editors sent an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Dec. 11 asking him to drop British spellings, this report first published Dec. 14, 2025.
- The linguists argue British spellings threaten clarity and national identity in federal communications, departing from established Canadian English and risking confusion in Canadian government communications.
- Signatories included Kaitlin Littlechild, president of Editors Canada, and John Chew, editor in chief of the Canadian English Dictionary, along with six linguists, including J.K. Chambers and Sandra Clarke, who signed last week's letter.
- The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to a Canadian Press request for comment, while Editors Canada questioned if British spellings reflected a "misunderstanding" or a "targeted directive," and Prof J.K. Chambers said, `He obviously picked up some pretensions while he was there.`
- Carney spent seven years as governor of the Bank of England, a background linked to his British usage, while Prof Stefan Dollinger said `It seems kind of counter-productive that the Prime Minister's Office would now walk the clock back by half-a-century or more`.
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52 Articles
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Promoters of Canadian English say the federal government is sending the wrong message to the world with its recent use of British spelling in official documents. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, five linguistics experts and an editors association representative say the simplest way to keep national elbows up is to get Canadian style down on the page. The Dec. 11 letter, shared with The Canadian Press, notes the use of British spelling—…
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