4.08 Titles of office or rank

(a) Capitalize civil, military, religious and professional titles and titles of nobility when they precede and form part of a personal name:

• Archbishop Gervais
• Finance Minister Paul Martin
• General de Chastelain
• Lord Carrington
• Pope John Paul II
• President Clinton
• Prime Minister Chrétien
• Professor Layton
• Queen Elizabeth II

(b) Capitalize all titles following and placed in apposition to a personal name, except those denoting professions:

• Clare Smith, Director of Public Affairs
• Ron Irwin, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

but

• Jane Tanaka, professor of physics

(c) Capitalize a title referring to a specific person and used as a substitute for that person’s name, even if it is a short form:

• the President of the Treasury Board
• the Chief, Public Affairs Section
• the Leader of the Opposition

• According to the Assistant Deputy Minister, this is a unique agreement.
• They discussed the matter with the Colonel.
• The Archbishop made no further comment.

(d) Do not capitalize spelled-out titles in the plural or titles preceded by an indefinite article:

• the lieutenant-governors of Quebec and Ontario
• a member of Parliament

but

• the Member for Winnipeg North Centre

(e) Capitalize abbreviated titles in the plural:

• We met Profs. Sami and Nicolet.

(f) Do not capitalize titles modified by a possessive or other type of adjective, or by an indefinite article:

• They discussed it with their colonel.
• They discussed it with the former ambassador.
• They discussed it with the Canadian prime minister.
• They discussed it with a member of Parliament.

(g) Capitalize titles only when they refer to a specific person; do not capitalize a term that refers to a role rather than a person:

• As prime minister [that is, while occupying a certain position], Lester Pearson introduced the new Canadian flag.
• The production manager [any person who occupies that position] assigns schedules.

(h) Occupational titles used descriptively are normally followed by a complete personal name. They should not be capitalized in writing for general readers, although corporate requirements and the expectations of a specialized readership often result in a more liberal use of capital letters:

• manager Cito Gaston
• production superintendent Anna Chang
• technical writer John Lipon

(i) Do not capitalize adjectives derived from titles unless they are part of a title:

• episcopal
• papal
• ministerial correspondence
• presidential prerogative
• Rabbinical College of Telshe

(j) Capitalize titles of respect and forms of address, even when used in the plural:

• Your Honour
• Your Grace
• Your Excellencies
• Mr. Chairman
• Their Royal Highnesses
• Her Worship

© Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada, 2024
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Ayuda a la redacción – The Canadian Style
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