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Snapshot 5:Wed, Dec 17, 2025 8:05:58 AM GMT last edited by Harish Chander

Canada: Linguists Urge Mark Carney to Drop British Spellings

Canada: Linguists Urge PMMark Carney to Drop British Spellings

Canada: Linguists Urge Mark Carney to Drop British Spellings
Above: **Watermarked Getty Image. Kindly Replace** Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. Image credit: Hector Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images

The Spin

Prime Minister Carney's imposition of British spellings on official Canadian documents represents a troubling erasure of Canadian linguistic identity that evolved organically over 150 years. Canadian English reflects the nation's unique history — blending British, American and Indigenous influences into conventions that linguists describe as "broadminded" and distinctly Canadian. Abandoning established spellings like "organize" and "recognize" for British variants undermines national pride and creates confusion about authentic Canadian usage.

Language naturally evolves through cultural contact and neither British nor American spelling is inherently "wrong" — they simply represent different evolutionary paths from common roots. British spelling preserves historical connections to borrowed words from multiple languages, maintaining etymological integrity that American simplifications discard. The irritation comes not from spelling differences themselves but from Americans insisting their streamlined versions are the only correct forms.

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 4% chance the U.S. will annex any part of Canada before June 3, 2072, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0