Date and time notation in Canada

French speakers consistently write the date with the day first (le 7 janvier) like the rest of the French-speaking world.

For example, the seventh day of January 2016 can be written as:[5] Formal letters, academic papers, and reports often prefer the day-month-year sequence.

The standard all-numeric date format is common between English and French:[8] The first day of the month is written with an ordinal indicator: le 1er juillet 2017.

[20][21] Canada was an early adopter of the 24-hour clock, which Sandford Fleming promoted as key to accurate communication alongside time zones and a standard prime meridian.

[23][24] The 24-hour notation is shorter, removes the potential for confusing the first and second halves of the day especially visible at midnight (00:00 or 24:00, 12:00 a.m.) and noon (12:00, 12:00 p.m.), and is language-neutral.

Fifteen minutes after eight o'clock at night can be written:[3] The 24-hour clock is widely used in contexts such as transportation, medicine, environmental services, and data transmission, "preferable for greater precision and maximum comprehension the world over".

[4] Its use is mandatory in parts of the government as an element of the Federal Identity Program, especially in contexts such as signage where speakers of both English and French read the same text.

The government describes the 24-hour system as "desirable" but does not enforce its use, meaning that the 12-hour clock remains common for oral and informal usage in English-speaking contexts.