Date and time notation in Canada - Wikipedia Date and time notation in Canada Date and time notation in Canada is regulated for some industries, and the Government of Canada recommends particular styles to ensure correct comprehension, especially in bilingual contexts. Everyday usage in Canadian English is a mixture of conventions from date and time notation in the United Kingdom and the United States, and varies across the country. Date The Government of Canada recommends the YYYY - MM - DD format for writing numeric dates. The Canadian Standards Association ( National Standard of Canada CAN / CSA - Z243. 4 -- 89, All - numeric date and time ) specifies ISO 8601 as the date format. This is the only numeric date format that allows unambiguous interpretation. The YYYY - MM - DD format is an official recommendation, but it is rarely enforced, and in many contexts the DD / MM / YY and MM / DD / YY formats remain in use. Payments Canada prefers ISO 8601, but also allows cheques to be printed using MMDDYYYY or DDMMYYYY formats ; they must include indicators to guide the format. Some federal forms, such as commercial cargo manifests, offer a blank line with no guidance. Federal regulations for best before dates on perishable goods mandate that the year / month / day format be used, with the month spelled out. The year is only required if the date is beyond the current year. These are the official bilingual codes : Code English Name French Name JA January janvier FE February février MR March mars AL April avril MA May mai JN June juin JL July juillet AU August août SE September septembre OC October octobre NO November novembre DE December décembre Time Official bodies and many industries in Canada require the use of the 24 - hour clock, and it is the recommendation of the Government of Canada. Nonetheless, it only states that the system ' may be desirable ', and the 12 - hour clock remains common in English - speaking contexts. References Jump up ^ Sanderson, Blair ( 18 January 2016 ). `` Proposed legislation aims to settle date debate ''. CBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2017. Jump up ^ Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada ( 1997 ). `` 5.14 : Dates ''. The Canadian style : A guide to writing and editing ( Rev. ed. ). Toronto : Dundurn Press. p. 97. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55002 - 276 - 6. Jump up ^ `` TBITS 36 : All - Numeric Representation of Dates and Times -- Implementation Criteria ''. Treasury Board of Canada. December 18, 1997. Retrieved March 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Collishaw, Barbara ( 2002 ). `` FAQs on Writing the Time of Day ''. Terminology Update. 35 ( 3 ) : 11. Jump up ^ `` Cheque Specifications '' ( PDF ). Canadian Payments Association. Retrieved March 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Blaze Carlson, Kathryn ( 29 October 2011 ). `` Is 02 / 04 / 12 February 4, or April 2 ? Bill seeks to end date confusion ''. National Post. Retrieved 25 September 2017. Jump up ^ Food Labelling and Claims Directorate ( 8 June 2017 ). `` Date Markings and Storage Instructions ''. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Government of Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2015. Jump up ^ Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada ( 1997 ). `` 5.13 : Representation of time of day ''. The Canadian style : A guide to writing and editing ( Rev. ed. ). Toronto : Dundurn Press. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55002 - 276 - 6. Date and time notation in the Americas North America South America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Falkland Islands French Guiana Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands US Virgin Islands Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Date_and_time_notation_in_Canada&oldid=808613756 '' Categories : Time in Canada Date and time representation by country Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from September 2017 Use Canadian English from June 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 3 November 2017, at 23 : 55. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how to write the date in canadian english
Answer: YYYY-MM-DD