Spelling
Our spelling style is based on the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd edition [COD], and our abbreviation style is based on the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 8th edition [McGill]. Exceptions to both are noted.
#
3D
9/11 (September 11, 2001)
911 call
A
abettor
Aboriginal (n., adj.) — “Indigenous” is preferred, but use “Aboriginal” in some situations, such as when there’s reference to a specific title (of a journal, book, group, etc.) or certain legal docs — the Constitution uses “Aboriginal peoples,” so Aboriginal title and rights case law still uses that terminology (“Aboriginal rights,” etc.)
above ground (n.), aboveground (adj., adv.)
access (v.) (use is acceptable, particularly in technical contexts)
accused (sing., pl.)
acknowledgment
acquiror
Act (short for Income Tax Act, etc.) (see also legislation)
actus reus (guilty act)
AD — Anno Domini; e.g., AD 2016 (deprecated; CE preferred (q.v.))
ad hoc (n., adj.)
adducible
adjusted cost base (n., adj.)
administration, the Clinton administration
ADR (alternative dispute resolution)
advertise
adviser, advisory
affect (v.) (influence — not effect (q.v.))
a fortiori (conclusively; with stronger reason)
afterward
afterword (part of a book)
agreed-upon
Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund
all right
alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
a.m. — ante meridiem (before noon)
amicus curiae, amicus (friend of the court)
AMT (alternative minimum tax)
analyze
anglophone
annul, annulment
anti — anti-discrimination, anti-establishment, anti-social, antitrust
Anton Piller (order; provides the right to search premises and seize evidence without prior warning)
a posteriori (reasoning from effect to cause; based on experience)
appellant (in styles of cause, the name preceding "v")
appendixes
a priori (reasoning from cause to effect; from assumed principles)
Arabic numeral
the Arctic, the Canadian Arctic, arctic climate
arm's length (adv.), arm's-length (adj.)
article (part of journal or newsletter; not part of book)
Asian American, Asian Canadian (n., adj.)
assure (tell confidently — not ensure (q.v.))
attorney (lawyer; only in US contexts)
attorney(s) general, Attorney General Smith
audiotape, audiovisual
axe
B
back up (v.), backup (n., adj.)
backbench, backbencher
backward
bad faith (n.), bad-faith (adj.)
battered woman syndrome
bawdy house (n.), bawdy-house (adj.)
BC — Before Christ; e.g., 10,000 BC (deprecated; BCE preferred (q.v.))
BCE — Before Common Era (preferred to BC)
behaviour, behavioural, behaviouralism
benefited, benefiting
biased
Black American, Black Canadian (n., adj.)
blue-collar (adj.)
blue paper, the Finance blue paper
Bloc Québécois, Bloc Québécois’ (poss.)
BNA Act (British North America Act)
board, the Landlord and Tenant Board
boldface
bona fide (rom.) (in good faith; without deception; real)
bona fides (credentials)
bookkeeping
bottom line (n.), bottom-line (adj.)
branch, the Tax Policy Branch
brand name (n.), brand-name (adj.)
break and enter (v.), break-and-enter (n.)
break even (v.), break-even (adj.)
break up (v.), breakup (n., adj.)
broadband (n., adj.)
build up (v.), buildup (n., adj.)
business — business person, business people, businesslike
by — by-law, bypass, byproduct
by-law (LSUC) — the By-Laws, By-Law 1, a by-law, the by-law; in pinpoint citations, By-Law 1 contra McGill
C
°C (degree Celsius: e.g., 30 °C)
c (chapter of an act: e.g., c 2)
ch (chapter of a book; in references, ch 2
ca. — circa (about)
Cabinet
caesarean section
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (the customs arm of former Canada Customs and Revenue Agency [CCRA])
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) (replacing Canada Customs and Revenue Agency [CCRA] Dec 12, 2003)
CAP (Canada Assistance Plan)
careful parent (n.), careful-parent (adj.)
carry back (v.), carryback (n., adj.)
carry forward (v.), carryforward (n., adj.)
carry over (v.), carryover (n., adj.)
carve out (v.), carveout (adj.)
casebook
case by case, case-by-case (adj.)
case law
cash flow (n., adj.)
Catch-22 (n., adj.)
catchline
CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency)
Cdn$ (Canadian dollars, with dollar amount: e.g., Cdn$1.49)
CE — Common Era (preferred to AD)
cellmate
cellphone
Celsius (preferred to centigrade)
centre, centred (takes preposition "on")
centrepiece
cf — confer (compare) COD: cf.
chair (preferred to chairperson, chairman, or chairwoman)
chap. (chapter: used only in APA references)
Chapter(s) (of a book) — internal references are capitalized (e.g., Chapter 2, Decision-Makers; Chapters 2 and 3); external references are lowercase (e.g., "discussed by Jones in chapter 4 of her monograph")
checklist
cheque
chief justice — Chief Justice Smith, the chief justice, Smith CJ
child care (n.), childcare (adj.)
choice of law (n., adj.)
church [building]
Church [government] (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, the Church)
CICA (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants)
circa — about (abbreviated "ca.")
civil law (n., adj.)
CJ (chief justice) — preferred to CJC (chief justice of Canada)
classmate
clean up (v.), cleanup (n., adj.)
clearcut (adj., n., v.)
clerk of the Privy Council
co — co-author, co-chair, coed, co-editor, coeducational, coexist, co-op [as in food or housing co-operative], cooperate, coordinate, co-owner
coattail
Code (short for Criminal Code, Internal Revenue Code, etc.) (see also legislation)
cognizant
collectible
colour
combatted
commingle
commission, the Royal Commission on Taxation, the royal commission, the Carter commission
common law (n., adj.); open before nouns too
common sense (n.)
commonplace (n., adj.)
communiqué
compare to (liken; draw analogy or parallel)
compare with (examine to find likenesses and differences)
compel, compellable
Confederation (Canadian, of 1867)
conflict of law (n., adj.)
Congress, congressional
Constitution — the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act (BNA Act)), the Constitution Act, 1982, the Constitution, the US Constitution
continued — abbreviated "cont." (in tables)
contra proferentem (against the offeror, interpretation against the drafter)
contract out, contracting out (v.), contracting-out (adj.)
convenor
convention — see legislation
cooperate, cooperation but housing co-operative
coordinate, coordination
copy edit (n.), copyediting (n., adj.), copy-edit (v.), copy-edited (adj.), copy editor
Correctional Service of Canada, the CSC
cost–benefit (n., adj.) (with en dash)
cost-effective
councillor (in government/administrative contexts)
counsel (sing., pl.)
counsellor (in legal contexts)
counselling
counter — counterargument, counterproductive
countrywide
court — the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Court of Queen's Bench, the court (whether general or specific)
cover up (v.), coverup (n., adj.)
CPI (consumer price index)
CPP (Canada Pension Plan)
CRA (Canada Revenue Agency)
creditworthy, creditworthiness
criss-cross
criticize
cross — cross-border (adj.), cross-reference (n., v.) (as a v., preferred to cross-refer), cross-section (n.)
Crown
currency — Cdn$10, US$10
curricula
custom-made
Customs (the government agency; the border checkpoint)
cyberspace
czar
D
database
dates, figures — use cardinal figures, not ordinals (e.g., May 1, June 22)
dates, McGill style — in references, "day month year"; in running text, "month day, year" and, especially, "month day"
datum (sing.), data (pl.)
daycare (n., adj.)
day to day (n.), day-to-day (adj.)
daylight
de facto (rom.) (in fact)
debatable
decision-maker
decision-making (n., adj.)
debt holder
deductible
deep-seated (adj.)
defence
defendant
degree (angle: 45°; temperature with implicit unit: 30°; temperature with explicit unit: 30 °C)
Department of Finance, the department, the departments of Labour and Finance
dependant (n.), dependent (adj.)
different from (generally preferred to different than)
directors' and officers' insurance
disc (compact, vertebral cartilage), disk (computer)
discernible
dispel
dispensable
down payment
Dr, Drs COD: Dr., Drs.
draft
Driedger (Elmer A Driedger, The Construction of Statutes, 1974)
driver's licence, driver's licences
drop out (v.), dropout (n., adj.)
due diligence defence
duty-free
E
e.g. — exempli gratia (for example) (used in footnotes, tabular matter, confined spaces; takes trailing comma but no preceding or trailing comma in "See e.g. [source]")
EAC (Editors' Association of Canada; Employers' Advocacy Council)
east — east, the East, Eastern Canada, the East Coast, the east coast fisheries, Eastern Europe, Easterners
e-commerce — capitalized "E-Commerce" in headings and titles
education system, educational program
effect (achieve — not affect (q.v.))
eldercare (n., adj.)
El(l)iot(t) — T.S. Eliot, Borden & Elliot, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Stikeman & Elliott, Elliot Lake
email (electronic mail)
embedded (preferred to imbedded)
endeavour
enforceable
English (n.), English Canadian (n., adj.), English-language (adj.)
enroll, enrollment
ensure (make sure — not assure (q.v.) or insure (q.v.))
EPF (established programs financing)
EPS (encapsulated PostScript
equalled
ergo (therefore)
ESA (Employment Standards Act)
established programs financing (EPF)
et al. — et alii (and others)
Eurocentric, Eurodollar, the euro
European Union (n.), EU (n., adj.) (spell out noun at first instance)
ex — ex-partner, ex-wife
exchangeable
excludable
ex curia (out of court)
ex officio (by virtue of an office)
ex post facto (from what is done afterward)
exploitive (preferred to exploitative)
extra — extracurricular, extrajudicial, extralegal, extramural, extramarital, extra-organizational, extraterritorial
F
°F (degree Fahrenheit: e.g., 90 °F)
facade
face to face (n.), face-to-face (adj.)
fact-finder (n.), fact-finding (n., adj.)
factum (sing.), factums or facta (pl. — facta preferred in legal contexts)
the Far East, the Far North
far — far-fetched, far-reaching, far-sighted
farther (used of literal distance: e.g., "she is farther up the road than he is")
favourable
FEL (future economic loss)
fetus
ff (folios following; and the following pages: e.g., at 37ff) COD: ff.
fibre, fibreglass
Figure (e.g., Figure 2.1)
fine-tune
first-degree murder contra Criminal Code
first-hand
First Nation(s) (n., adj.)
First World War
flow through (v.), flowthrough (n., adj.)
focused, focusing
follow up (v.), follow-up (n., adj.)
foot (ft)
forceful (powerful — not forcible (q.v.))
forcible (done by force — not forceful (q.v.))
forego (precede — not forgo (q.v.))
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (formerly Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade)
foreword (part of a book — not forward (q.v.)) (written by someone other than the author(s); signed; appears before the preface)
for example (preferred to for instance)
forgivable
forgo (do without — not forego (q.v.))
foreign — foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, foreign-source income
formulas
forum conveniens (the appropriate court or forum)
forum non conveniens (not the appropriate court or forum)
forums (also fora, esp. in legal contexts)
forward (direction of movement — not foreword (q.v.))
four-fifths
frame shifting (n.), frame-shifting (adj.)
franchiser, franchisee
francophone
freelance (n., adj., v.)
free market, free trade (n., adj.)
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) (between Canada and the United States)
French (n.), French Canadian (n., adj.), French-language (adj.)
fresh water (n.), freshwater (adj.)
friendly — student-friendly, user-friendly
Front de libération du Québec (FLQ)
front-line (adj.)
FTA (Free Trade Agreement) (between Canada and the United States; effective Jan 1, 1988)
fuel, fuelled, fuelling
fulfill, fulfillment
full-time (adj., adv.)
furor
further (used of metaphorical distance: e.g., "she is further ahead than he is in copyediting skills")
furthermore (whole-clause adv.) (preferred to "further" in the sense of moreover or in addition)
G
G7 — Group of Seven (industrialized nations)
G8 — Group of Eight (G7 + Russia)
G20 — Group of Twenty (19 countries + European Union)
GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles)
GAAR (general anti-avoidance rule)
GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services)
GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)
gauge
gauntlet
gayness
general interest (n., adj.)
ghettos
give-and-take (n., adj.)
Globe and Mail — include The with full n. and in references; omit with adj. (e.g., "the Globe and Mailwebsite")
going private (v.), going-private (adj.)
good faith (n.), good-faith (adj.)
goods and services tax (GST; effective Jan 1, 1991)
goodwill
grantee, grantor
green paper, the Finance green paper
grey, Grey Cup
grievor
gross up (v.), gross-up (n., adj.)
ground — groundbreaking, groundswell, groundwater (n., adj.), groundwork
GST (goods and services tax)
guarantee, guarantor
guaranty (a formal pledge to pay another's debt, or the security for such a pledge)
guideline (LSUC) — the Guidelines, Guideline 1, a guideline, the guideline; in pinpoint citations, Guideline 1 contra McGill
H
habeas corpus
hairsplitting
halfway
handout
health care (n., adj.)
high school (n., adj.)
hijab (rom.)
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), HIV-positive
HL (House of Lords) (UK court)
home ownership, homeowner
home page
Homo sapiens
homogeneous
honorarium, honorary
Honour, Your Honour
honourable
House of Commons, the House
House of Lords (HL) (UK court)
humour, humorous
I
ibid — ibidem (in the same place) COD: ibid.
i.e. — id est (that is) (used in footnotes, tabular matter, and confined spaces; takes trailing comma)
immovable
impact (n.) (“affect” is preferred as a verb)
impel, impellable
important (used with "more" or "most" as sentence adv.) (preferred to "importantly")
inasmuch as, insofar as
in camera (in private)
includible
incumbent
in depth (adv.), in-depth (adj.)
indexes (in publishing and economics), indices (in mathematics)
indicia (rom.) (indication, evidence)
Indigenous (but use “Aboriginal” in some situations, such as when there’s reference to a specific title [of a journal, book, group, etc.] or certain legal docs — the Constitution uses “Aboriginal peoples,” so Aboriginal title and rights case law still uses that terminology)
indispensable
Individual's Rights Protection Act (Alberta) (repealed in 1996)
inflow
information, an (lowercase)
infra (below)
in-house (adj., adv.)
in loco parentis (in the place of a parent)
in personam (concerning the person or personal rights)
inquire, inquiry (preferred to enquire, enquiry)
in re (in the matter of)
in rem (concerning a thing)
in situ (in its natural location)
install, installment
insure (make safe from financial loss through payment to insurance company — not ensure (q.v.))
insured, insurer
inter — interaffiliate, interprovincial
inter alia (among other things)
Internet, the Net
inter pares (between equals)
inter partes (between parties; with both sides represented)
interpretive (preferred to interpretative)
intervener contra COD
inter vivos (between living persons) but inter vivos trust (rom.)
in toto (entirely)
intra — intra-agency, intragenerational, intraregional
intra vires (within the jurisdiction)
ipso facto (by the fact itself; intrinsically)
J
J, JJ (justice(s) or judge(s))
JA, JJA (Appeal Court judge(s); justice(s) of the appellate court)
jailer
Japanese Canadian (n., adj.)
jerry-build (v.), jerry-built (adj.)
jewellery
JP (justice of the peace)
Jr — e.g., Donald Marshall Jr (indexed as Marshall, Donald, Jr) COD: Jr.
Judeo-Christian (with hyphen)
judgment
K
key man (n.), keyman (adj.)
keyword
kilometrage (cf. mileage), kilometre
kirpan (rom.)
know-how (n.)
knowledgeable
Koran — see Quran
Kristallnacht
L
labelled, labelling
lacuna (s.), lacunae (pl.)
laissez-faire (n., adj.)
land claim
landlocked
landowner, landownership, landowning
Latin
lawbreaker, law-breaking
Law Lords
lawmaker, law-making
lawsuit
lay off (v.), layoff (n., adj.)
layperson, laypersons
leadup
left hand (n.), left-hand (adj.), left-handed (adj.)
legislation — full titles of statutes, regulations, charters, conventions, proclamations, protocols, treaties, orders, and directives are italic and capitalized; short titles thereof are roman and capitalized; full and short titles of accords, agreements, manifestos, etc. are roman and capitalized; follow the capitalization style of the source:
• the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Act
• the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Charter
• the Criminal Code, the Code
• the Income Tax Act, the Act
• the Canada–US Automotive Products Agreement, the Autopact
• the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the Convention
• the Nisga'a Final Agreement, the Agreement
• the North American Air Defence Agreement, NORAD
• the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA
• the Patented Medicines Notice of Compliance Regulations, the PMNOC Regulations
• the Regina Manifesto
• the Royal Proclamation, 1763; the Royal Proclamation, the Proclamation
• the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Treaty
• the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration
Legislative Assembly (Ontario)
legislature, the Ontario legislature
lesbianness
lessee, lessor
level (adj.) — first-level heading
licence (n.), license (v.), licensing (adj.)
licensor, licensee
lieutenant governor in council
life — life cycle, life-giving, lifelong, lifespan, lifestyle, lifetime
lightface
likeable
line — catchline, source line, straightline (accounting), tagline
lineup
lock up (v.); lock-up (n., adj.)
long-standing (adj.) but of long standing
long-term (adj., adv.), but in the long term
look out (v.), lookout (n.)
Lordship (UK HL) — His Lordship, Her Lordship, their Lordships
lower class (n.), lower-class (adj.)
lowercase (adj., v.)
lower court (n., adj.)
LSUC (Law Society of Upper Canada) pinpoint citations contra McGill
• By-Laws — the By-Laws, By-Law 1, a by-law, the by-law; in pinpoint citations, By-Law 1
• Paralegal Professional Conduct Guidelines — the Guidelines, Guideline 1, a guideline, the guideline; in pinpoint citations, Guideline 1
• Paralegal Rules of Conduct — the Rules, Rule 1, a rule, the rule; in pinpoint citations, Rule 1
• Rules of Professional Conduct — the Rules, Rule 1, a rule, the rule; in pinpoint citations, Rule 1
lump sum (n.), lump-sum (adj.)
M
M (monsieur) (in French text)
Mlle (mademoiselle) (in French text)
Mme (madame) (in French text)
Mr (sing.), Messrs (pl.) COD: Mr., Messrs.
Mrs, Ms COD: Mrs., Ms.
macroeconomic
Madam (e.g., Madam Justice Bertha Wilson)
make up (v.), makeup (n., adj.)
manoeuvrable, manoeuvre, manoeuvring
Mareva (rom.) (injunction; freezes assets to prevent frustration of a judgment)
the Maritimes, the maritime provinces
mark down (v.), markdown (n., adj.), marked-down (adj.)
mark-to-market (adj.) (accounting method)
mark up (v.), markup (n., adj.), marked-up (adj.)
marketplace
master (judicial officer in civil proceedings); Master Smith; the master
meagre
medallist
Medicare
medieval
medium (sing.), media (pl.)
memoranda
mens rea (guilty mind)
Métis
Metropolitan Toronto, Metro
microcredit, microfinance
microeconomic
middle class (n.), middle-class (adj.)
the Middle East, the Mideast (Asia)
the Middle West, the Midwest (US)
mid — midway, mid-1990s
mileage (cf. kilometrage)
mini-budget
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship McCallum, the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship note serial comma; see Titles of Office
Ministry of Labour, the ministry
mistakable
MNR (minister of national revenue — typically encountered in tax cases as either appellant or respondent)
modelled, modelling
moneylender (n.), moneylending (n., adj.)
money-maker
moneys
months — Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec COD: abbreviations take periods
Montreal (in English text), Montréal (in French text)
mould (all meanings)
Mountie
movable
MP (member of Parliament; Member of Parliament Smith)
MST (manufacturers' sales tax)
multi — multi-dimensional, multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional, multi-purpose, multi-task, multi-use
multiple choice, multiple-choice (adj.)
My Lord
N
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) (between Canada, the United States, and Mexico; effective Jan 1, 1994)
naive, naiveté
National Assembly (Quebec)
nationwide
native (n., adj.)
Native American, Native Canadian (n., adj.) — “Indigenous” is preferred; see entry for “Indigenous”
NB — nota bene (note well)
NEER plan (new experimental experience rating plan)
NEL (non-economic loss)
neo — neo-liberal, neo-conservative, but neoclassical
nevertheless
newborn (n., adj.)
New World
New Year's, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve
New York (state or city), New York City
niqab (rom.)
no one
non — nonchalant, noncommittal, non-existent, non-native, non-resident
nonetheless
north — north, the North, Northerners
Northwest Territories
notable
noticeable
numbers (cardinal and ordinal) — write out up to ten in non-technical text; see Numbers
O
O Reg (Ontario Regulation)
obiter dictum, obiter dictum (sing.), obiter dicta (pl.) — comment(s) of a court, made in passing; not binding
obligor
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
offence
offeror
off — off guard, offhand, off-limits, offline, offshore, offside, offsite
oil sands
Ojibwe
Old World
one half (n.), one-half (adj.)
on — ongoing, online, onshore, onside, onsite
open-endedness
opposite sex (n.), opposite-sex (adj.)
Opposition, the official Opposition (n.); opposition parties (adj.)
opt out, opting out (v.), opting-out (adj.)
order in council
orient, oriented (v.) (not orientate)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
OSC (Ontario Securities Commission)
OSFI (Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions)
outflow
over (adv.) — capitalized in headings and titles
over — overage (surplus), over-age (over an age limit) overall, overextend, overreach, overreact, overrepresent
P
p's and q's
pace (by grace of, in deference to)
Pacific Rim (n., adj.)
panellist
paper (part of book or journal)
paperwork
Paralegal Professional Conduct Guidelines (LSUC) — the Guidelines, Guideline 1, a guideline, the guideline; in pinpoint citations, Guideline 1 contra McGill
Paralegal Rules of Conduct (LSUC) — the Rules, Rule 1, a rule, the rule; in pinpoint citations, Rule 1 contra McGill
Parliament, parliamentary
part — intrabook elements (those within the book) are capitalized — e.g., "see Part III, below"; interbook elements (those within any other book) and statutory references are lowercase — e.g., "discussed by Smith in part IV of his treatise", "under part XIII of the Act"
part-time (adj., adv.)
Parti Québécois
partway
passerby, passersby
passim (here and there; throughout a work)
pay — paycheque, payday, payload, payroll
payee, payer
pay equity (n., adj.)
pay off (v.), payoff (n.)
pay stub (n.), paystub (adj.)
per (rom.)
per capita
percent
perk (abbrev. of perquisite)
per se (rom.) (in or by itself, intrinsically)
personal use (n.), personal-use (adj.)
persona non grata (unacceptable person; unwelcome guest)
"Persons" case (include quotation marks in italics)
phase in (v.), phase-in (n., adj.)
phase out (v.), phase-out (n., adj.)
placeholder
pleaded (preferred to pled)
p.m. — post meridiem (after noon)
PMNOC (Patented Medicines Notice of Compliance)
policyholder
policy-maker, policy-making
post mortem (rom.) (n., adj.)
postjudgment
postmodern
post-secondary
practice (n.), practise (v.)
prairie, prairies (grassland area of western Canada); the Prairie provinces, the Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta)
pre — pre-1972, preconceive, pre-date, pre-eminent, pre-empt, pre-emptive, pre-exist, preoccupy, preordain, prerequisite, preschool, pre-tax, pre-trial
precede
preclude [from] (to prevent or exclude; to make impossible)
preface (written by the author(s); not necessarily signed; appears after the foreword, if any)
preferable
prejudgment
prerogative
pretense
preventive (preferred to preventative)
prima facie (on the face of it)
primeval
print out (v.), printout (n., adj.)
prioritize (v.) (preferred to priorize)
private sector (n., adj.)
Privy Council
pro bono
pro rata, prorate, proration
proactive
producible
profit sharing (n.), profit-sharing (adj.)
profiting
program, programmed, programming
promissor
proofread
protector
protester
proved beyond a reasonable doubt (standard of proof; proved preferred to proven), but innocent until proven guilty (Charter s 11(d))
provided that (preferred to providing that)
Provincial Court, Provincial Court Judge Smith, the Provincial Court judge
PST (provincial sales tax)
public sector (n., adj.)
Q
QB (Queen's Bench, Court of)
QC (Queen's Counsel)
Qc (Quebec) (used with courts)
QED — quod erat demonstrandum (which was to be proved or shown)
q.v. — quod vide (which see)
quantum meruit (as much as is deserved)
quash (suppress, annul)
quasi (rom.)
Que (Quebec) (used with documents)
Quebec (province), Quebec City (in English text), Québec (in French text)
Quebecker
Québécois
quotable
quotation (n.), quote (v.), quotation marks
Quran
R
r, rr (rule, rules; used with specific references: e.g., r 23)
R (Regina, Rex) (appellant in criminal cases)
rain water (n.), rainwater (adj.)
rateable
ratio, ratio decidendi (the governing legal principle or rule on which a judge's decision in a case is based)
RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
RCWC (Royal Commission on Workers' Compensation)
re — rearrange, reconsider, re-create, re-creation (create again), recreation (entertainment), re-elect, re-enact, re-establish, reintegrate, reinvest, re-lend, reorder, reread
realize
rebut, rebuttable
record-keeper, record-keeping (n., adj.)
reducible
referable
regard — with regard to, in regard to, as regards (not in regards to)
regulation — in text, e.g., Regulation 613, Seat Belt Assemblies, the Regulation; in citation, e.g., Seat Belt Assemblies, RRO 1990, Reg 613
regulation (Income Tax Regulations only) — in text, e.g., regulation 6203 of the Income Tax Regulations; in citation, e.g., Income Tax Regulations, CRC, c 945, reg 6203
removable
respect — with respect to, in respect of
respondent (in styles of cause, the name following "v")
Restatement, Restatement (2d) (US directive on contracts)
resumé
reverse engineering (n.), reverse-engineer (v.)
reverse onus (n.), reverse-onus (adj.)
reversible
right hand (n.), right-hand (adj.)
right-of-way (n.)
rigour, rigorous
risk-averse
risk management process
risk-taker (n.), risk-taking (adj.)
role play (n.), role-play (v.), role-playing (n., adj.)
roll over (v.), rollover (n., adj.)
Roman numeral
roman type
roommate
royal assent
Royal Proclamation, 1763; the Royal Proclamation, the Proclamation
RPP (registered pension plan)
RRIF (registered retirement income fund)
RRSP (registered retirement savings plan)
rule (LSUC) — the Rules, Rule 1, a rule, the rule; in pinpoint citations, Rule 1 contra McGill
rule of law (n.), rule-of-law (adj.)
Rules of Professional Conduct (LSUC) — the Rules, Rule 1, a rule, the rule; in pinpoint citations, Rule 1 contra McGill
S
saleable
salt water (n.), saltwater (adj.)
same sex (n.), same-sex (adj.)
Sched. (schedule; used in non-McGill statutory references); Schedule (McGill)
Second Injury and Enhancement Fund (SIEF)
Second World War
second- — second-best, second-class (adj.), second-degree, second-degree murder contra Criminal Code, second-growth, second-guess, second-hand (used), second-last, second-rate, second-run
self — self-conscious, self-consciousness (but unselfconscious, unselfconsciousness), self-defence
Senate, senator, Senator Smith, senatorial
settlor (of a trust)
setoff (n., adj.), set off (v.)
set-up (n., adj.), set up (v.)
shareable
shareholders' agreement
sharia (rom.)
short list (n.), shortlist (v.)
short-lived
short-term (adj., adv.), but in the short term
show cause hearing
show-how (n.)
shrink wrap (n.), shrink-wrap (adj., v.)
[sic] (so, thus) (italic, enclosed in brackets)
sidestep
SIEF (Second Injury and Enhancement Fund)
sizable
skeptical
skillful, skillfulness
sleepwalk
smartphone
so-called (adj.) (that which is so called is not enclosed in quotation marks; e.g., "my so-called life")
socio-economic, socio-political
source line; "Source:" for one source; "Sources:" for more than one source
south — south, the South, Southerners
Speaker of the House, the Speaker
special interest (n., adj.)
Speech from the Throne, Throne Speech
split up (v.), split-up (n., adj.)
St (saint; street) COD: St.
stand-alone
standby (adj.)
stare decisis (principle of precedent: "to stand by things decided")
start up (v.), start-up (n., adj.)
status Indian
status quo (rom.) (the existing state of affairs)
statute-barred
step — stepbrother, stepdaughter, stepfather, stepmother, step-parent, stepsister, stepson
step by step (adv.), step-by-step (adj.)
stop-loss rules
stop-work order
storey (of a building)
storm water (n.), stormwater (adj.)
story (of a narrative)
straightforward
straightline (accounting)
stress (n.) (use of v. to mean emphasize is discouraged)
student-friendly
style(s) of cause (case name(s))
sub — sub-basement, subcategory, subclass, subculture, subfloor, subsection
subject matter
suite — (French) continued (in tables)
sulphur
summons, a (lowercase)
supersede
supra (above)
supranational
T
T-chart
T-shirt
Table (e.g., Table 3.10)
tagline
take out (v.), takeout (n., adj.)
take over (v.), takeover (n., adj.)
take up (v.), take-up (n., adj.)
targeted
task force
tax — tax-deductible, tax-free
tax avoidance (n.), tax-avoidance (adj.)
taxpayer (n., adj.), taxpaying (adj.)
teamwork
test drive (n.), test-drive (v.)
that — capitalized in headings and titles
theatre
then (as attributive adj., as in "the then prime minister"): avoid by recasting; if not avoided, do not hyphenate
third party (n.), third-party (adj.)
the Third World, a Third World country
threshold
three-dimensional, 3D contra COD
time — time frame, timeline, time out
titleholder (n.), titleholding (adj.)
titles of office — Prime Minister Trudeau, the prime minister; former prime minister Harper, the former prime minister; Chief of Police Saunders, the chief of police; Chief Justice McLachlin, the chief justice, Justice McLachlin (as she then was); the Director; the Queen; the Secretary; the Speaker
tonne (metric ton)
Toronto — amalgamated York, East York, North York, Don Mills, Scarborough, and Etobicoke into present metropolitan form Jan 1, 1998
tortuous (full of twists and bends — not torturous (q.v.))
torturous (causing or involving torture — not tortuous (q.v.))
toward
tradeable
trademark
trade name (n.), trade-name (adj.)
trade off (v.), trade-off (n., adj.)
transferable, transferor, transferee
traveller, travelling
treaty — see legislation
tribunal, the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (renamed the Landlord and Tenant Board on Jan 31, 2007)
U
ultra vires (outside jurisdictional powers)
under way
United Kingdom (n.), UK (n., adj.) (spell out noun at first instance)
United Nations (n.), UN (n., adj.), United Nations' (possessive) (spell out noun at first instance)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR)
United States (n.), US (n., adj.), United States' (possessive) (spell out noun at first instance)
unmistakable
unshakable
up front (adv.), upfront (adj.)
up to date (adv.), up-to-date (adj.)
uppercase (n., adj.)
upper class (n.), upper-class (adj.)
upward
US$ (US dollars, with dollar amount: e.g., US$1.49)
usable
use of force (n., adj. before n.): use of force model
user's guide, user's guides
V
v (versus) (in styles of cause)
vs (versus) (abbreviated only in tabular matter and indexes) COD: vs.
Valmet Oy (in Beloit Canada Ltd v Valmet Oy, an intellectual property case)
valour, valorous
value-added tax (VAT)
verbatim (rom.) (word for word)
versus
vice-president
vice versa (rom.)
videotape
vigour, vigorous
vis-à-vis (rom.)
viva voce (orally: in examination of witnesses)
viz. — videlicet (to wit; namely)
voir dire (see speak) (a hearing to test the admissibility of evidence, conducted with the jury excluded from court)
W
waste water (n.), wastewater (adj.)
WCAT (Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal)
WCB ([Ontario] Workers' Compensation Board — as of 1998, WSIB (q.v.)) (in some provinces, Workers [no apostrophe])
web — the Web, web links, web management, webmaster, web page, web services, website, the World Wide Web
weights and measures, imperial — lb, oz, pt, qt, bbl, bu, doz, in, ft, sq ft, sq in, yd, mi, mph contra COD: abbreviations take periods
weights and measures, metric — g, kg, mg, t, L, ml, mm, cm, m, km, km/h, cm2, m2, ha
well-being
well-known rule (but the rule was well known)
well thought out proposal
west — west, the West, Western Canada, the West Coast, the west coast fisheries, Western Europe, Westerners
whistle-blower (n., adj.), whistle-blowing
white-collar (adj.)
white paper, the Finance white paper
wide — wide-ranging, widespread
wi-fi
wilful, wilfulness
wind up (v.), windup (n., adj.)
withhold, withholding, withholdings, withholding tax
work — workbook, workday, workforce, work-in-progress, workload, workplace, workshop, workspace, work team, workweek
world view
world wars — First World War, Second World War, the world war
worldwide
WSIA (Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997)
WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board — as of 1998, replacing WCB (q.v.))
X-Y-Z
X's and O's
X-acto knife
X axis
X chromosome
year-end
youth (sing., pl.)
zero-rate (v.), zero-rated (adj.), zero-rating (n.)