Religion in Canada

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Religion in Canada[1]
Religion			Percent
Christianity			77%
None			16.2%
Islam			2.0%
Judaism			1.1%
Hinduism			1.0%
Buddhism			1.0%
Sikhism			0.9%
Statistics Canada, 2001 census survey results

Religion in Canada encompasses a wide range of groups.^[2] The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms references "God", and the monarch carries the title of "Defender of the Faith". However, Canada has no official religion, and support for religious pluralism (Freedom of religion in Canada) is an important part of Canada's political culture.^[3][4] The 2001 Canadian census reported that 77% of Canadians claim adherence to Christianity, followed by no religion at 16%.^[1]

With Christianity having once been central and integral to Canadian culture and daily life, it has been recently suggested that Canada has come to enter a post-Christian or secular state, where practice of the religion has "moved to the margins of public life",^[5][6] and irreligion is on the rise.

History

to 1800

Before the arrival of Europeans, the First Nations followed a wide array of mostly animistic religions. See also Native American mythology. The first Europeans to settle in great numbers in Canada were French Latin rite Roman Catholics, including a large number of Jesuits dedicated to converting the natives; an effort that eventually proved successful.^[7]

The first large Protestant communities were formed in the Maritimes after they were conquered by the British. Unable to convince enough British immigrants to go to the region, the government decided to import continental Protestants from Germany and Switzerland to populate the region and counterbalance the Roman Catholic Acadians. This group was known as the Foreign Protestants. This effort proved successful and today the South Shore region of Nova Scotia is still largely Lutheran.

The Quebec Act of 1774 acknowledged the rights of the Roman Catholic Church throughout Lower Canada in order to keep the French-Canadians loyal to Britain.

The American Revolution brought about a large influx of Protestants to Canada. United Empire Loyalists, fleeing the rebellious United States, moved in large numbers to Upper Canada and the Maritimes. They comprised a mix of Christian groups with a large number of Anglicans, but also many Presbyterians and Methodists.

19th century

While Anglicans consolidated their hold on the upper classes, workingmen and farmers responded to the Methodist revivals, often sponsored by visiting preachers from America. Typical was Rev. James Caughey, an American sent by the Wesleyan Methodist Church from the 1840s through 1864. He brought in the converts by the score, most notably in the revivals in Canada West 1851-53. His technique combined restrained emotionalism with a clear call for personal commitment, coupled with followup action to organize support from converts. It was a time when the Holiness Movement caught fire, with the revitalized interest of men and women in Christian perfection. Caughey successfully bridged the gap between the style of earlier camp meetings and the needs of more sophisticated Methodist congregations in the emerging cities.^[8]

In the early nineteenth century in the Maritimes and Upper Canada, the Anglican Church held the same official position it did in England. This caused tension within English Canada, as much of the populace was not Anglican. Increasing immigration from Scotland created a very large Presbyterian community and they and other groups demanded equal rights. This was an important cause of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada. With the arrival of responsible government, the Anglican monopoly was ended.^[9]

In Lower Canada, the Roman Catholic Church was officially pre-eminent and had a central role in the colony's culture and politics. Unlike English Canada, French-Canadian nationalism became very closely associated with Roman Catholicism. During this period, the Roman Catholic Church in the region became one of the most reactionary in the world. Known as Ultramontane Catholicism, the church adopted positions condemning all manifestations of liberalism.^[10]

In politics, those aligned with the Roman Catholic clergy in Quebec were known as les bleus (the blues). They formed a curious alliance with the staunchly monarchist and pro-British Anglicans of English Canada (often members of the Orange Order) to form the basis of the Canadian Conservative Party. The Reform Party, which later became the Liberal Party, was largely composed of the anti-clerical French-Canadians, known as les rouges (the reds) and the non-Anglican Protestant groups. In those times, right before elections, parish priests would give sermons to their flock where they said things like Le ciel est bleu et l'enfer est rouge. This translates as "Heaven/the sky is blue and hell is red".

By the late nineteenth century, Protestant pluralism had taken hold in English Canada. While much of the elite were still Anglican, other groups had become very prominent as well. Toronto had become home to the world's single largest Methodist community and it became known as the "Methodist Rome". The schools and universities created at this time reflected this pluralism with major centres of learning being established for each faith. One, King's College, later the University of Toronto, was set up a non-denominational school. The influence of the Orange Order was strong, especially among Irish Protestant immigrants, and comprised a powerful anti-Catholic force in Ontario politics; its influence faded away after 1920.^[11]

The late nineteenth century also saw the beginning of a large shift in Canadian immigration patterns. Large numbers of Irish and Southern European immigrants were creating new Roman Catholic communities in English Canada. The population of the west brought significant Eastern Orthodox immigrants from Eastern Europe and Mormon and Pentecostal immigrants from the United States.

20th century

In 1919-20 Canada's five major Protestant denominations (Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, and Presbyterian) cooperatively undertook the "Forward Movement." The goal was to raise funds and to strengthen Christian spirituality in Canada. The movement invoked Anglophone nationalism by linking donations with the Victory Loan campaigns of the First World War I, and stressed the need for funds to Canadianize immigrants. Centered in Ontario, the campaign was a clear financial success, raising over $11 million. However the campaign exposed deep divided among Protestants, with the traditional evangelists speaking of a personal relationship with God and the more liberal denominations emphasizing the Social Gospel and good works.^[12] Both factions (apart from the Anglicans) agreed on prohibition, which was demanded by the WCTU.^[13]

Domination of Canadian society by Protestant and Roman Catholic elements continued until well into the 20th century, however. Up until the 1960s, most parts of Canada still had extensive Lord's Day laws that limited what one could do on a Sunday. The English-Canadian elite were still dominated by Protestants, and Jews and Roman Catholics were often excluded. A slow process of liberalization began after the Second World War in English-Canada. Overtly Christian laws were expunged, including those against homosexuality. Policies favouring Christian immigration were also abolished.

The most overwhelming change occurred in the Quiet Revolution Quebec in the 1960s. In 1950, the province was one of the most traditional Roman Catholic areas in the world. Church attendance rates were high, and the school system was largely controlled by the church. In the 1960s, the Catholic Church lost most of its influence in Quebec, and religiosity declined sharply. While the majority of Québécois are still professed Latin rite Roman Catholics, rates of church attendance are today extremely low, in fact, they are the lowest of any region in North America today. Common law relationships, abortion, and support for same-sex marriage are more common in Quebec than in the rest of Canada.

English Canada also underwent secularization. The United Church of Canada, the country's largest Protestant denomination, became one of the most liberal major Protestant churches in the world. It is committed to gay rights including marriage and ordination, and to the ordination of women. The United Church has seen its membership decline substantially since the 1990s, and other mainline churches have seen similar declines, while overall church attendance has increased in the 2000s.

In addition, a strong current of evangelical Protestantism exists outside of Quebec. The largest groups are found in the Atlantic Provinces and Western Canada, particularly in Alberta, southern Manitoba and the southern interior and Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, also known as the "Canadian Bible Belt". There is also a significant evangelical population in southern Ontario. In these areas, particularly outside the Greater Toronto Area, the culture is more conservative, somewhat more in line with that of the Midwestern and southern United States, and same-sex marriage, abortion, and common-law relationships are less popular. This movement has grown considerably in the past few years (primarily in those areas listed above) due to strong influences on public policy and stark divides, not unlike those in the United States, although the overall proportion of evangelicals in Canada remains considerably lower and the polarization much less intense. There are very few evangelicals in Quebec and in the largest urban areas, which are generally secular, although there are several congregations above 1000 in most large cities.^[14]

Religious mix

Census results

In the Canada 2001 Census^[1] [4] [5] [6] [7] 72% of the Canadian population list Roman Catholicism or Protestantism as a religion. The Roman Catholic Church in Canada is by far the country's largest single denomination. Those who listed no religion account for 16% of total respondents. In British Columbia, however, 35% of respondents reported no religion—more than any single denomination and more than all Protestants combined.^[15]

Top Religious Denominations in Canada

	1991		2001		% change (in numbers)
	Number	%	Number	%
Total Population	26,944,040		29,639,035		+9.8
Christian	22,503,360	83	22,851,825	77	+1.5
- Roman Catholic	12,203,625	45.2	12,793,125	43.2	+4.8
- Total Protestant	9,427,675	34.9	8,654,845	29.2	-8.2
- United Church of Canada	3,093,120	11.5	2,839,125	9.6	-8.2
- Anglican Church of Canada	2,188,110	8.1	2,035,495	6.9	-7.0
- Baptist	663,360	2.5	729,470	2.5	+10.0
- Lutheran	636,205	2.4	606,590	2.0	-4.7
- Protestant, not included elsewhere2	628,945	2.3	549,205	1.9	-12.7
- Presbyterian	636,295	2.4	409,830	1.4	-35.6
- Christian Orthodox	387,395	1.4	495,245	1.7	+27.8
- Christian, not included elsewhere1	353,040	1.3	780,450	2.6	+121.1
No Religious Affiliation	3,397,000	12.6	4,900,095	16.5	+44.2
Other	1,093,690	4.1	1,887,115	6.4	+72.5
- Muslim	253,265	0.9	579,645	2.0	+128.9
- Jewish	318,185	1.2	329,990	1.1	+3.7
- Buddhist	163,415	0.6	300,345	1.0	+83.8
- Hindu	157,010	0.6	297,200	1.0	+89.3
- Sikh	147,440	0.5	278,415	0.9	+88.8
1 Includes persons who report “Christian”, and those who report “Apostolic”, “Born-again Christian” and “Evangelical”. 2 Includes persons who report only “Protestant”. * For comparability purposes, 1991 data are presented according to 2001 boundaries.

Province/territory[16]	Christians	Non-religious	Muslims	Jews	Buddhists	Hindus	Sikhs
Alberta	2,099,435	694,840	49,040	11,085	33,410	15,965	23,470
British Columbia	2,124,615	1,388,300	56,220	21,230	85,540	31,500	135,310
Manitoba	859,055	205,865	5,095	13,040	5,745	3,835	5,485
New Brunswick	657,880	57,665	1,275	670	545	475	90
Newfoundland and Labrador	493,480	12,865	630	140	185	405	135
Northwest Territories	29,645	6,600	180	25	155	65	45
Nova Scotia	780,535	106,405	3,545	2,120	1,730	1,235	270
Nunavut	24,855	1,655	30	0	15	10	0
Ontario	8,413,495	1,841,290	352,530	190,795	128,320	217,555	104,785
Prince Edward Island	123,795	8,950	195	55	140	30	0
Quebec	6,432,430	413,190	108,620	89,915	41,380	24,525	8,225
Saskatchewan	795,935	151,455	2,230	865	3,050	1,585	500
Yukon	16,660	11,015	60	35	130	10	100

Christianity in Canada

Canadian Christian bodies v · Canadian Interchurch Canadian Council of Churches S. Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America North Am. Presbyterian & Reformed Council Anabaptist & Friends Canadian Mennonite Brethren Churches Canadian Yearly Meeting (Quakers) Mennonite Church Canada Baptist & Stone-Campbell Baptist Association of Regular Baptist Churches Baptist General Conference of Canada Canadian Baptist Ministries Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists Fellowship of Evgcl. Baptist Churches, Canada North American Baptist Conference Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Evangelical Christian Church in Canada Catholic & Anglican Anglican Church of Canada Anglican Church in North America Polish National Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church Holiness & Pietist Christian and Missionary Alliance, Canada Church of the Nazarene Evangelical Free Church of Canada Salvation Army Wesleyan Church Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Lutheran Church–Canada Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Methodist British Methodist Episcopal Church Free Methodist Church in Canada United Church of Canada Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, N.Am. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Orthodox Church in America American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada Non-Chalcedonic Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Am. Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada Pentecostal Apostolic Church of Pentecost Canadian Assemblies of God Church of God of Prophecy Intl. Foursquare Gospel, Canada Intl. Pentecostal Holiness Church Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Pentecostal Church of God Oneness Pentecostal United Pentecostal Church Intl. Presbyterian & Reformed Canadian and American Reformed Churches Christian Reformed Church in North America L'Église réformée du Québec Presbyterian Church in Canada Presbyterian Church in America Reformed Church in America United Church of Canada Other Messianic Jewish Alliance of America Plymouth Brethren Seventh-day Adventists, North America LDS Church Vineyard Canada

Notre-Dame Basilica, a Roman Catholic church in Old Montreal of Montreal, Quebec. On its completion in 1888, it was the largest church in North America.

The majority of Canadian Christians attend church infrequently. Cross-national surveys of religiosity rates such as the Pew Global Attitudes Project indicate that, on average, Canadian Christians are less observant than those of the United States but are still more overtly religious than their counterparts in Western Europe. In 2002, 30% of Canadians reported to Pew researchers that religion was "very important" to them. A 2005 Gallup poll showed that 28% of Canadians consider religion to be "very important" (55% of Americans and 19% of Britons say the same).^[17] Regional differences within Canada exist, however, with British Columbia and Quebec reporting especially low metrics of traditional religious observance, as well as a significant urban-rural divide, while Alberta and rural Ontario saw high rates of religious attendance. The rates for weekly church attendance are contested, with estimates running as low as 11% as per the latest Ipsos-Reid poll and as high as 25% as per Christianity Today magazine. This American magazine reported that three polls conducted by Focus on the Family, Time Canada and the Vanier Institute of the Family showed church attendance increasing for the first time in a generation, with weekly attendance at 25 per cent. This number is similar to the statistics reported by premier Canadian sociologist of religion, Prof. Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge, who has been studying Canadian religious patterns since 1975. Although lower than in the US, which has reported weekly church attendance at about 40% since the Second World War, weekly church attendance rates are higher than those in Northern Europe.

As well as the large churches — Roman Catholic, United, and Anglican, which together count more than half of the Canadian population as nominal adherents — Canada also has many smaller Christian groups, including Orthodox Christianity. The Egyptian population in Ontario and Quebec (Greater Toronto in particular) has seen a large influx of the Coptic Orthodox population in just a few decades. The relatively large Ukrainian population of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has produced many followers of the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, while southern Manitoba has been settled largely by Mennonites. The concentration of these smaller groups often varies greatly across the country. Baptists are especially numerous in the Maritimes. The Maritimes, prairie provinces, and southwestern Ontario have significant numbers of Lutherans. Southwest Ontario has seen large numbers of German and Russian immigrants, including many Mennonites and Hutterites, as well as a significant contingent of Dutch Reformed. Alberta has seen considerable immigration from the American plains, creating a significant Mormon minority in that province. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims 178,102 members (74,377 of that is in Alberta) as of year-end 2007.^[18] And according to the Jehovah witness year report there are 111,963 active members (members who actively preach) in Canada.

Christianity and Immigration

Canada as a nation is becoming increasingly religiously diverse, especially in large urban centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, where minority groups and new immigrants who make up the growth in most religious groups congregate. Two significant trends become clear when we examine the current religious landscape closely. One is the loss of ‘secularized’ Canadians as active and regular participants in the churches and denominations they grew up in, which were overwhelmingly Christian, while these churches remain a part of Canadians cultural identity. The other is the increasing presence of ethnically diverse immigration within the religious makeup of the country.

As Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics have experienced drastic losses over the past 30 years, others have been expanding rapidly: overall by 144% in ‘Eastern’ religions during the 1981-1991 decade.^[19] Considering Canada’s increasing reliance on immigration to bolster a low birth rate, the situation is only likely to continue to diversify. This increased influx of ethnic immigrants not only affects the types of religions represented in the Canadian context but also the increasingly multicultural and multilingual makeup of individual Christian denominations. From Chinese Anglican or Korean United Church communities, to the Lutheran focus on providing much needed services to immigrants new to the Canadian context and English language, immigration is making changes.^[20]

For some protestant denominations, adapting to a new secular context has meant adjusting to their non-institutional roles in society by increasingly focusing on social justice.^[21] However the pull between conservative religious members and the more radical among the church members is complicated by the numbers of immigrant communities who may desire a church that fulfills a more ‘institutionally complete’ role as a buffer in this new country over the current tension filled debates over same-sex marriage, ordination of women and homosexuals, or the role of women in the church. This of course will depend on the background of the immigrant population, as in the Hong Kong context where ordination of Florence Li Tim Oi happened long before women’s ordination was ever raised on the Canadian Anglican church level.^[22]

As well a multicultural focus on the churches part may include non-Christian elements (such as the inclusion of a Buddhist priest in one incident) which are unwelcome to the transplanted religious community.^[23] Serving the needs and desires of different aspects of the Canadian and newly Canadian populations makes a difficult balancing act for the various mainline churches which are starved for money and active parishioners in a time where 16% of Canadians identify as non-religious and up to two-thirds of those who do identify with a denomination use the church only for it’s life-cycle rituals governing birth, marriage, and death.^[24] The church retains that hold in their parishioner’s lives but not the commitment of time and energy necessary to support an aging institution.

A loud portion of the evangelical and sectarian protestant groups proclaim their growth as well but as Roger O’Tool notes they make up 7% of the Canadian population and seem to gain most of their growth from a higher birthrate.^[25] What is significant is the higher participation of their members in contrast to Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. This high commitment would seem to translate into the kind of political power evangelicals in the United States enjoy but despite Canada’s historically Christian background as Lori Beaman notes neatly “...[forming] the backdrop for social process”^[26] explicit religiosity appears to have not effectively moved the government towards legal discrimination against gay marriage. Much as many Roman Catholics in Quebec ignore the Church’s stance on birth control, abortion, or premarital sex, the churches do not dictate much of the daily lives of regular Canadians.^[27]

Christianity remains a social justice and community force within Canada but its cultural loss of active and engaged participants has not been supplanted by the gains in immigrant numbers, thus Canada’s religious landscape has become increasingly diverse.

Province/Territory	Christians[28]
Newfoundland and Labrador	97.1%
Nunavut	93.2%
Prince Edward Island	92.8%
New Brunswick	91.4%
Quebec	90.2%
Nova Scotia	86.9%
Saskatchewan	82.6%
Northwest Territories	79.9%
Manitoba	77.8%
Canada	77.1%
Ontario	74.5%
Alberta	71.3%
Yukon	58.4%
British Columbia	54.9%

Islam in Canada

Further information: Islam in Canada

A Mosque in Ottawa

A Mosque in Quebec

The Muslim community in Canada is almost as old as the nation itself. Four years after Canada's founding in 1867, the 1871 Canadian Census found 13 Muslims among the population.^[29] The first Canadian mosque was constructed in Edmonton in 1938, when there were approximately 700 Muslims in the country.^[30] This building is now part of the museum at Fort Edmonton Park. The years after World War II saw a small increase in the Muslim population. However, Muslims were still a distinct minority. It was only with the removal of European immigration preferences in the late 1960s that Muslims began to arrive in significant numbers.

According to Canada's 2001 census, there were 579,740 Muslims in Canada, just under 2% of the population.^[31] In 2006, the Muslim population was estimated to be 0.8 million or about 2.6%. In 2010, the Pew Research Center estimates there were about 0.9 million Muslims in Canada.[8] About 65% were Sunni, while 15% were Shia.^[32] Some Muslims are non-practicing.

In 2007, the CBC introduced a popular television sitcom called Little Mosque on the Prairie, a contemporary reflection and critical commentary on attitudes towards Islam in Canada.^[33] In 2008, the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, visited the Baitun Nur Mosque, the largest mosque in Canada for its inaugural session with the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.^[34]

Province/Territory	Muslims
Ontario	3.1%
Canada	1.9%
Alberta	1.6%
Quebec	1.5%
British Columbia	1.4%
Manitoba	0.4%
Northwest Territories	0.4%
Nova Scotia	0.3%
Saskatchewan	0.2%
Yukon	0.2%
New Brunswick	0.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador	0.1%
Nunavut	0.1%
Prince Edward Island	0.1%

Judaism in Canada

Further information: Judaism in Canada and Antisemitism in Canada

Aaron Hart is considered to be the father of Canadian Jewry

The Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Ontario

The earliest documentation of Jews in Canada are British Army records from the French and Indian War from 1754. In 1760, General Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst attacked and won Montreal for the British. In his regiment there were several Jews, including four among his officer corps, most notably Lieutenant Aaron Hart who is considered the father of Canadian Jewry.^[35] In 1807, Ezekiel Hart was elected to the legislature of Lower Canada, becoming the first Jew in the British Empire to hold an official position. Hart was sworn in on a Hebrew Bible as opposed to a Christian Bible.^[36][37] The next day an objection was raised that Hart had not taken the oath in the manner required for sitting in the assembly — an oath of abjuration, which would have required Hart to swear "on the true faith of a Christian".^[38] Hart was expelled from the assembly, only to be re-elected two more times. In 1768, the first synagogue in Canada was built in Montreal, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal. In 1832, partly because of the work of Ezekiel Hart, a law was passed that guaranteed Jews the same political rights and freedoms as Christians.

The Jewish population saw a growth during the 1880s due to the pogroms of Russia and growing anti-Semitism. Between the years of 1880 and 1930 the Jewish population grew to 155,000. In 1872, Henry Nathan, Jr. became the first Jewish Member of Parliament, representing the Victoria, BC area in the newly created House of Commons. The First World War halted the flow of immigrants into Canada, and after the War there was a change in Canada's immigration policy to limit the immigration of people from "non-preferred nations", i.e., those not from the United Kingdom or otherwise White Anglo-Saxon Protestant nations. In June 1939 Canada and the United States were the last hope for 907 Jewish refugees aboard the steamship SS St. Louis which had been denied to land in Havana although the passengers had entry visas. The Canadian government ignored the protests of Canadian Jewish organizations. King said the crisis was not a "Canadian problem" and Blair added in a letter to O.D. Skelton, Undersecretary of State for External Affairs, dated June 16, 1939, "No country could open its doors wide enough to take in the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people who want to leave Europe: the line must be drawn somewhere." The ship finally had to return to Germany.^[39] During the Second World War almost twenty thousand Canadian Jews volunteered to fight overseas. Nearly 40,000 Holocaust survivors moved to Canada in the late 1940s to rebuild their lives.

Today the Canadian Jewish community is the sixth largest in the world^[40] and practices in both of the official languages of Canada. There is an increase in the number of people that use Hebrew, other than religious ceremonies, while there is a decline in the Yiddish language. Most of Canada's Jews live in Ontario and Quebec, with Toronto having the largest Jewish population centre. Recently, anti-Semitism has been a growing concern in Canada. In 2009, anti-Semitic incidents jumped a fivefold,^[41] with over 113 incidents, and some reports listing 479 in Toronto alone.

Province/Territory	Jews [28]
Ontario	1.7%
Quebec	1.3%
Manitoba	1.2%
Canada	1.1%
British Columbia	0.5%
Alberta	0.4%
Nova Scotia	0.2%
Yukon	0.1%
New Brunswick	0.09%
Saskatchewan	0.09%
Northwest Territories	0.07%
Prince Edward Island	0.04%
Newfoundland and Labrador	0.03%
Nunavut	0.0%

Buddhism in Canada

Main article: Buddhism in Canada

There is a small, rapidly growing Buddhist community in Canada. As of the 2001 count, 300,346 Canadians identified their religion as Buddhist^[42] (about 1% of the population).

Buddhism has been practiced in Canada for more than a century and in recent years has grown dramatically. Buddhism arrived in Canada with the arrival of Chinese laborers in the territories during the 19th century.^[43] Modern Buddhism in Canada traces to Japanese immigration during the late 19th century.^[43] The first Japanese Buddhist temple in Canada was built at the Ishikawa Hotel in Vancouver in 1905.^[44] Over time, the Japanese Jōdo Shinshū branch of Buddhism became the prevalent form of Buddhism in Canada^[43] and established the largest Buddhist organization in Canada.^[43]

The Buddhist Population in Canada according to the 2001 Census.^[42]

Province	Buddhists
Ontario	128,321
British Columbia	85,540
Quebec	41,380
Alberta	33,410
Manitoba	5,745
Saskatchewan	3,050
Nova Scotia	1,730
New Brunswick	545
Newfoundland and Labrador	185
Northwest Territories	155
Prince Edward Island	140
Yukon	130
Nunavut	15
Canada	300,346

Sikhism in Canada

Further information: Sikhism in Canada

Canadian Sikhs are the largest religious group among Indo-Canadians.^[45] According to the 2001 census there are 278,410 ^[42] Sikhs in Canada. Sikhs have been in Canada since at least 1887. One of the first Sikh soldiers arrived in Canada following Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

The Sikh Population in Canada according to the 2001 Census.^[42]

Province	Sikhs
British Columbia	135,310
Ontario	108,785
Alberta	23,470
Quebec	8,225
Manitoba	5,485
Saskatchewan	500
Nova Scotia	270
Newfoundland and Labrador	135
Yukon	100
New Brunswick	90
Northwest Territories	45
Prince Edward Island	1
Nunavut	0
Canada	278,410

Irreligion in Canada

Further information: Irreligion in Canada

Irreligious Canadians include atheists, agnostics, and humanists. The surveys may also include those who are spiritual, deists, and pantheists. In 1991, they made up 12.3 percent which, according to the 2001 census, increased to 16.2 percent. Some non-religious Canadians have formed associations, such as the Humanist Association of Canada or the Toronto Secular Alliance.

Province/Territory	Irreligious[28]
Yukon	37.4%
British Columbia	35.1%
Alberta	23.1%
Manitoba	18.3%
Northwest Territories	17.4%
Canada	16.2%
Ontario	16.1%
Saskatchewan	15.4%
Nova Scotia	11.6%
New Brunswick	7.8%
Prince Edward Island	6.5%
Nunavut	6.0%
Quebec	5.6%
Newfoundland and Labrador	2.5%

Age and religion

According to the 2001 census, the major religions in Canada have the following median age. Canada has a median age of 37.3.^[46]

• Presbyterian 46.1
• United Church 44.1
• Anglican 43.8
• Lutheran 43.3
• Jewish 41.5
• Greek Orthodox 40.7
• Baptist 39.3
• Buddhist 38.0
• Roman Catholic 37.8
• Pentecostal 33.5
• No Religion 31.9
• Hindu 30.2
• Sikh 29.7
• Muslim 28.1

Government and religion

Canada today has no official church, and the government is officially committed to religious pluralism. In some fields Christian influence remains.

Christmas and Easter are nationwide holidays, and while Jews, Muslims, and other groups are allowed to take their holy days off work they do not share the same official recognition^{[citation needed]}. The French version of "O Canada", the official national anthem, contains a Catholic reference to "carrying the cross". In some parts of the country Sunday shopping is still banned, but this is steadily becoming less common. There was an ongoing battle in the late 20th century to have religious garb accepted throughout Canadian society, mostly focused on Sikh turbans. Eventually the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Canadian Legion, and other groups accepted members wearing turbans.

Canada is a Commonwealth realm in which the head of state is shared with 15 other countries, including the United Kingdom. The UK's succession laws forbid Roman Catholics and their spouses from occupying the throne, and the reigning monarch is also ex officio Supreme Governor of the Church of England, but Canada is not bound by these laws. Within Canada, the Queen's title include the phrases "By the Grace of God" and "Defender of the Faith."

While the Canadian government's official ties to Christianity are few, it more overtly recognizes the existence of God and even the supremacy of God.^[47] Both the preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the national anthem in both languages refer to God.

In 1957, Parliament declared Thanksgiving "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.", stating that God is almighty and that Canada is blessed.^[48]

Some religious schools are government-funded. See Section Twenty-nine of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Further information: Religious freedom in Canada

Medium growth projection for 2006 and 2031

Top Religious Denominations in Canada

	2006		2031[49]		% change (in numbers)
	Number	%	Number	%
Total Population	32,522,000		42,078,000		+29.4
Christian	24,340,000	74.8	27,285,000	64.8	+12.1
- Roman Catholic	13,830,000	42.5	15,389,000	36.6	+11.3
- Total Protestant	8,970,000	27.6	8,973,000	21.3	+0.0
- Christian Orthodox	566,000	1.7	978,000	2.3	+72.8
- Christian, not included elsewhere1	974,000	3.0	1,944,000	4.6	+99.6
No Religious Affiliation	5,680,000	17.5	8,780,000	20.9	+54.6
Other	2,501,000	7.7	6,013,000	14.3	+140.4
- Muslim	884,000	2.7	2,870,000	6.8	+224.7
- Jewish	348,000	1.1	421,000	1.0	+21.0
- Buddhist	358,000	1.1	607,000	1.4	+69.6
- Hindu	406,000	1.2	1,024,000	2.4	+152.2
- Sikh	384,000	1.2	906,000	2.2	+135.9
- Other	122,000	0.4	185,000	0.4	+51.6
1 Includes persons who report “Christian”, “Apostolic”, “Born-again Christian” and “Evangelical”. Note: 2006 data has been projected from 2001

Other surveys

A 2008 Canadian Press Harris-Decima telephone survey of just over 1,000 Canadians found 23% were willing to state they do not believe in any god.^[50] A 2010 80-question mail-in survey of 420 Canadians by Carleton University Survey Centre and the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies found 30% agreed with the statement "I know God really exists and I have no doubts", 20% acknowledged they "have doubts" but "feel that I do believe in God", 10% answered they believe in God "sometimes", 20% said they don't believe in a "personal God" but "do believe in a higher power", 12% adopted the classic agnostic position and said they "don't know whether there is a God and don't believe there is a way to find out", and 7% said no god exists. Slightly more than half believed in heaven, while less than a third believed in hell, with 53.5% saying they believed in life after death. About 27% said they believe in reincarnation, and 50% expressed belief in religious miracles.^[51]

In 2011, a survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid shows that 47% believed religion do more harm in the world than good. While 64% believed that religion provides more questions than answers.^[52]

See also

	Canada portal
	Religion portal

• Religion in North America

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Religions in Canada—Census 2001". 2.statcan.ca. 2010-03-09. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?Temporal=2001&PID=55822&APATH=3&GID=431515&METH=1&PTYPE=55440&THEME=56&FOCUS=0&AID=0&PLACENAME=0&PROVINCE=0&SEARCH=0&GC=99&GK=NA&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&FL=0&RL=0&FREE=0. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
2. ^ Hales, Dianne R; Lauzon, Lara (2010). An Invitation to Health (2nd Canadian ed.). Nelson Education,. p. 440. ISBN 9780176500092. http://books.google.ca/books?id=O3Y9-P_Sj7oC&pg=PA440&dq=religiously+diverse+in+Canada#v=onepage&q&f=true. Retrieved 2011-05-02. 
3. ^ "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982)". Department of Justice Canada. 2010. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/1.html#anchorbo-ga:l_I-gb. Retrieved 2010-09-10. 
4. ^ Miedema, Gary R (2005). For Canada's sake: public religion, centennial celebrations, the re-making .... McGill-Queen's University Press. p. xv. ISBN 0773528776. http://books.google.ca/books?id=0q8OSvcfqBkC&lpg=PR15&dq=religious%20pluralism%20in%20Canada&pg=PR15#v=onepage&q&f=true. Retrieved 2010-07-12. 
5. ^ Christian churches in Canada fading out: USA next? – USA Today. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
6. ^ Anglican Church facing the threat of extinction – Globa and Mail. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
7. ^ Thomas Guthrie Marquis, Jesuit missions: A chronicle of the cross in the wilderness (1964)
8. ^ Peter Bush, "The Reverend James Caughey and Wesleyan Methodist Revivalism in Canada West, 1851-1856," Ontario History, Sept 1987, Vol. 79 Issue 3, pp 231-250
9. ^ George Rawlyk, The Contribution of Presbyterianism to the Maritime Provinces (1997)
10. ^ Raymond J. Lahey, The First Thousand Years: A Brief History of the Catholic Church in Canada (2002)
11. ^ Cecil J. Houston, and William J. Smyth, The sash Canada wore: A historical geography of the Orange Order in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 1980).
12. ^ Daryl Baswick, "Social Evangelism, the Canadian Churches, and the Forward Movement, 1919-1920," Ontario History vol 12#1 1997, pp 303-319
13. ^ Sharon Anne Cook, "'Earnest Christian Women, Bent on Saving our Canadian Youth': The Ontario Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Scientific Temperance Instruction, 1881-1930," Ontario History, Sept 1994, Vol. 86 Issue 3, pp 249-267
14. ^ George A. Rawlyk, Aspects of the Canadian Evangelical Experience (McGill-Queen's, 1997)
15. ^ "96F0030XIE2001015 - Religions in Canada". 2.statcan.ca. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/bc.cfm. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
16. ^ "Population by religion, by province and territory (2001 Census)". 0.statcan.gc.ca. 2005-01-25. http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo30a-eng.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
17. ^ "Can a "Reagan Revolution" Happen in Canada?". Gallup.com. 2006-01-20. http://www.gallup.com/poll/20986/Can-Reagan-Revolution-Happen-Canada.aspx. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
18. ^ Alberta. LDS Newsroom.
19. ^ Roger O’Toole, “Religion in Canada: Its Development and Contemporary Situation” In Lori Beaman, ed., Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2006), 18.
20. ^ Bryan Hillis, “Outsiders Becoming Mainstream: The Theology, History and Ethnicity of Being Luthern in Canada” In P. Bramadat & D. Seljak, Christianity and Ethnicity in Canada. (Toronto: Pearson Longman, 2005), 268.
21. ^ Roger O’Toole, “Religion in Canada: Its Development and Contemporary Situation” In Lori Beaman, ed., Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2006), 13-14.
22. ^ Wendy Fletcher, “Canadian Anglicanism and Ethnicity” In P. Bramadat & D. Seljak, Christianity and Ethnicity in Canada. (Toronto: Pearson Longman, 2005.), 156.
23. ^ Greer Anne Wenh-In Ng, “The United Church of Canada: A Church Fittingly National” In P. Bramadat & D. Seljak, Christianity and Ethnicity in Canada. (Toronto: Pearson Longman, 2005), 232.
24. ^ "96F0030XIE2001015 - Religions in Canada". 2.statcan.ca. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/canada.cfm. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
25. ^ Roger O’Toole, “Religion in Canada: Its Development and Contemporary Situation” In Lori Beaman, ed., Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2006), 17.
26. ^ Lori Beaman, ed., Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2006), 3.
27. ^ Roger O’Toole, “Religion in Canada: Its Development and Contemporary Situation” In Lori Beaman, ed., Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2006), 12.
28. ^ ^{a b c} "Statistics Canada". 0.statcan.gc.ca. 2005-01-25. http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo30a-eng.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
29. ^ 1871 Census of Canada
30. ^ Saudi Aramco World: Canada's Pioneer Mosque: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199804/canada.s.pioneer.mosque.htm
31. ^ Population by religion, by province and territory (2001 Census)
32. ^ http://www.environicsinstitute.org/PDF-MuslimsandMulticulturalisminCanada-LiftingtheVeil.pdf -- Muslims and Multiculturalism in Canada. March 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
33. ^ "CBC Television - Little Mosque on the Prairie". Cbc.ca. http://www.cbc.ca/littlemosque/. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
34. ^ Morton, Graeme (2008-07-05). "Politicians and faithful open Canada's largest mosque". Canada.com (Canwest News Service). http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=c1ce5c3b-de23-4093-85b8-36162ac636a6. Retrieved 2008-07-12. 
35. ^ "Hart, Aaron". Exposition Shalom Québec. http://www.shalomquebec.org/members.aspx?mid=349. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 
36. ^ Brown, Michael (1986). The Beginning of Jewish Emancipation in Canada: The Hart Affair. Michael, vol. 10. 
37. ^ Bloch, Abraham P. (1987). One a Day: An Anthology of Jewish Historical Anniversaries for Every Day of the Year. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 31. ISBN 0-8812-5108-9. 
38. ^ Weinfeld, Morton; Shaffir, William; Cotler, Irwin (1981). The Canadian Jewish Mosaic. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 262, 385. ISBN 0-4717-9929-7. 
39. ^ "The Virtual Jewish History Tour - Canada". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/canada.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
40. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia of 1901-1906 [1]
41. ^ Keung, Nicholas (2010-04-11). "Anti-semitism incidents jump five-fold in Canada". Toronto: thestar.com. http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/immigration/article/793643--anti-semitism-incidents-jump-five-fold-in-canada. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
42. ^ ^{a b c d} Population by religion, by province and territory (2001 Census)
43. ^ ^{a b c d} The Canadian Encyclopedia: Buddhism
44. ^ A Journalist's Guide to Buddhism
45. ^ "Sikhism in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia
46. ^ "Religions in Canada". 2.statcan.ca. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/canada.cfm. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
47. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
48. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}
49. ^ "Projections of the Diversity of the Canadian Population" (PDF). http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-551-x/91-551-x2010001-eng.pdf. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
50. ^ "Almost a quarter of Canadians don't believe in any god, new poll says". CBC News. 2008-06-03. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/03/f-religion-poll.html.  A sample of the same size has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
51. ^ The results of this survey are considered accurate to within 4.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
    • Randy Boswell (2010-09-03). "Heaven exists, but not hell, Canadians believe". http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Heaven+exists+hell+Canadians+believe/3477413/story.html#ixzz0yV7WsvUk. 
    • Randy Boswell (2010-09-03). "Canadians yearn to believe, survey on spirituality shows". http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=62f83f13-408c-44ba-b608-2f1844ba7cf4. 
    • Randy Boswell (2010-09-03). "More Canadians believe in heaven than in hell: survey". http://www.leaderpost.com/life/More+Canadians+believe+heaven+than+hell+survey/3475806/story.html. 
52. ^ "Canadians Split On Whether Religion Does More Harm in the World than Good". 12 September 2011. http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5328. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 

Further reading

• Beaman, Lori G. (2006). Religion and Canadian society: traditions, transitions, and innovations. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 155130306X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=VP5F2TQKyygC&lpg=PA4&dq=Religion%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Beaman,, Lori G; Peter Beyer (2008). Religion and diversity in Canada. Leiden Brill. ISBN 9789004170155. http://books.google.ca/books?id=79bUL99FnVUC&lpg=PP1&dq=Religion%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Bramadat, Paul; David Seljak (2009). Religion and Ethnicity in Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442610187. http://books.google.ca/books?id=VymssyK1Hs0C&lpg=PP1&dq=Religion%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Bramadat, Paul; Seljak, David (2008). Christianity and ethnicity in Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802098757. http://books.google.ca/books?id=Z4HzXN4HQkQC&lpg=PA24&dq=%3A%20Ethnic%20origins%20of%20Canadians&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true. 
• Choquette, Robert (2004). Canada's religions: an historical introduction. University of Ottawa Press. ISBN 077663027X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=hk6702aK6A8C&lpg=PP1&dq=Religion%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Fay, Terence J. A History of Canadian Catholics. (2002). 392 pp., ISBN 978-0-7735-2313-5.
• Magocsi, Paul R (1999). Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples. Society of Ontario, University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802029388. http://books.google.ca/books?id=dbUuX0mnvQMC&lpg=PA582&dq=Territorial%20evolution%20of%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true. 
• Miedema, Gary R (2005). For Canada's sake: public religion, centennial celebrations, the re-making .... McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0773528776. http://books.google.ca/books?id=0q8OSvcfqBkC. 
• Moon, Richard (2008). Law and religious pluralism in Canada. UBC Press. ISBN 9780774814973. http://books.google.ca/books?id=ah66SQsk4hAC 
• Murphy, Terrence, and Roberto Perin, eds. A Concise History of Christianity in Canada (1996).
• Stackhouse, John (1993). Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 157383131X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=hDX7nXrdBjQC 
• Swyripa, Frances. Storied Landscapes: Ethno-Religious Identity and the Canadian Prairies (University of Manitoba Press, 2010) 296 pp. ISBN 978-0-88755-720-0
• Van Die, Marguerite (2001). Religion and public life in Canada: historical and comparative perspectives. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802044611. http://books.google.ca/books?id=GxZqGT-IrJ4C&lpg=PP1&dq=Religion%20in%20Canada&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 

External links

• CBC Digital Archives - Religion in the Classroom
• Canada religious census 2001
• Canadian Church Reading Room, with extensive links to on-line resources on Christianity in Canada (Tyndale Seminary)
• Canada’s Demo-Religious Revolution: 2017