Debate over titles comes to Brandon

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2025 (318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon resident Mike Theriault brought forward a worthy debate question during last Monday’s meeting of Brandon City Council.

Described as “upset” by the Sun’s city hall reporter, Theriault told councillors that they should stop using the outdated term “His Worship” when referring to the mayor of the city, arguing that the title was both outdated and undemocratic.

“The title of ‘His Worship’ is a relic of British imperialism,” Theriault said. “Its religious and hierarchical overtones are incompatible with Canadian democratic values.”

Theriault further argued that the title makes it seem like the mayor is at a higher level than the people he or she represents.

“Municipal leaders are not above the public. They hold office through the consent and mandate of the government, not by divine right or royal appointment,” he said.

Mr. Theriault is not alone in his thoughts regarding the use of Your Worship, His Worship or Her Worship — there’s in fact a growing debate, of sorts, fomenting around the country these days regarding the use of the honorific.

Last year, for example, Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was quoted in the Kelowna News as stating that the title has somewhat lost its meaning.

“Some councillors that sit in our council chambers, I think they say it because they have to,” Hamer-Jackson said. “But, you know, let’s not fluff it here. Don’t pretend that you respect the chair of the mayor. Don’t pretend that you respect the actual election and don’t pretend that you respect what the citizens of the community voted for.”

In 2020, one of the first things that Sandra Masters, Regina’s first female mayor, did was to eliminate the tradition of using “your worship.” According to a CBC news story, Masters requested in her first meeting with city council that people simply call her the mayor.

“Every time someone said, ‘your worship,’ I would cringe,” she told CBC. “I know that is the address in lots of places, but I thought internally in terms of the team, they’re councillors and I’m mayor, and Mayor Masters would be sufficient.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek — a former Brandonite to boot — asked her council in 2022 to stop calling her “your worship,” calling the title “clunky and colonial.”

If you look up the history of the term, it’s said that the word “Worship” comes from the Old English term “worth-ship,” in that the person you are calling that title is worthy of esteem. It’s very similar to how we say “Your Honour” when we are speaking to a judge in a courtroom.

For the record, the title of Your Worship, His Worship or Her Worship is indeed a relic of British imperialism, though its roots go back further to medieval times.

As we noted earlier this week, it is currently standard procedure for councillors speaking at council meetings to address the mayor as (His/Her/Your) Worship. Even when addressing other members of council, they say, “through Your Worship.”

However, there is no requirement for the general public to use the term when addressing the mayor — nor should there be.

For the benefit of Mr. Theriault, I will note that in Brandon’s council chambers, the mayor also wears the chains of office when sitting at the head of the council table. That, too, is a relic of our cultural history in this country. Should they, too, be thrown in the dustbin of history?

We agree with Mr. Theriault in that some traditions are questionable and the desire to end them makes sense, particularly when they slam up against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or are deemed to be lacking good sense or good taste.

But I would argue that there are some traditions and titles worth preserving, as a nod to our collective history as a nation. For example, every new elected Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada — and in Westminster parliaments, generally — is ceremonially dragged to their chair by the leaders of the two top parties representing the government and the official opposition. It is a light-hearted ceremony that has no bearing on the work of the House, but rather offers Canadians something unique in and of itself. This tradition is a symbol of continuity, and provides a link to our sovereign identity.

Our system of government was also inherited from the British system. And while it is hardly perfect — and it’s open to debate whether there are better and more practical alternatives to govern such a large and unwieldy nation — Canada has thus far persevered in its present format as a generally prosperous, peaceful nation.

Other traditions can and do serve a practical purpose. Honorific titles are one such example.

To my thinking, the simple act of using the term “Your Worship” is one of civility and deference to those who lead our city. The council table has been historically a place for raucous debate, where elected officials are supposed to discuss the issues and questions of the day.

Demanding that the mayor be addressed by a proper title helps keep a level of respectful decorum in the council chambers — though of course that isn’t always enough.

Still, I point to the way we address judges in our law courts. They command respect and have a right to expect it, in order to keep the business of the court moving forward.

If there is a general push among the population to make such a change, certainly our mayor and city should consider the idea. There is nothing wrong with calling the head of council simply “Mayor So-and-so.”

I’m just not sure that it would carry the same gravitas.

» Matt Goerzen, editor