Buddhism is one of the smaller minority religions inCanada. The2021 Canadian census recorded 356,975 Buddhists, representing 1% of Canada's population, the same percentage reported in the 2001 census.[1]
Buddhism has been practised in Canada for more than a century. Buddhism arrived in Canada with the arrival of Chinese labourers in the territories during the 19th century.[2] Modern Buddhism in Canada traces to Japanese immigration during the late 19th century.[2] The first Japanese Buddhist temple in Canada was built at the Ishikawa Hotel inVancouver in 1905.[3] Over time, the JapaneseJōdo Shinshū branch of Buddhism established the largest Buddhist organization in Canada.[2] In the1971 Canadian census, nearly two-thirds of Buddhists in Canada were of Japanese ethnicity.[4]
A substantial expansion of Buddhism in Canada began in the 1970s. Changes in Canadian immigration and refugee policies corresponded to increasing communities from South, Southeast, and East Asian nations with Buddhist traditions. The2001 Canadian census reported that 54.5% of Buddhists in Canada were of Chinese origin, and 33.5% were of Southeast Asian origin, while the percentage of Japanese Buddhists had declined to 4.5% of the total.[4] In addition, the popularity of the14th Dalai Lama, the third person ever to be grantedhonorary Canadian citizenship in 2006,[5] increased the Canadian public's exposure to and interest in Buddhism, particularlyTibetan Buddhism.[6][7]
In 2012, there were 489 Buddhist organizations in Canada,[8] including temples, centres, associations, retreats, charities and businesses. All lineages (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, and newer Navayana schools) are represented. The following universities in Canada have incorporated Buddhist studies either as a sub-discipline of religious studies, or as a subsidiary to Asian studies: the University of Toronto has two professors specialized in Buddhism,[9] and the University of Calgary also maintains two professorships related to Buddhism.[10] Smaller universities in Canada will typically have just one professor assigned to Buddhism (sometimes the same professor responsible for all Asian Religions) as, e.g., at the University of Lethbridge.[11]
Many immigrant and refugee populations continue to maintain their traditions in Canada, building places of worship in both urban and rural areas, including theSinhaleseMahavihara (1978) in Toronto,[12] theCambodianKhmer Pagoda of Canada (1980) in Montreal, theVietnameseĐại Tòng Lâm Monastery (1988) inHarrington, Quebec, the Lao and ThaiTheravadaWat Buddhadhamma (1992) inRegina, Saskatchewan,[13][14] and theChineseWutai Shan Buddhist Garden (2019) inCavan Monaghan, Ontario.[15] In the 2021 Canadian census, over 90% of Buddhists reported being part of a visible minority, with Chinese (37%), Vietnamese (26%), Cambodian (5.5%), and Sri Lankan/Sinhalese (5.3%) being the most common ethnic origins.[16]
Small numbers of Canadians of non-Asian ancestry have also been converting to Buddhism.[17] Many non-Asian Canadians, such asNamgyal Rinpoche,Glenn H. Mullin, andRichard Barron, have embraced Buddhism in various traditions and some have become leaders in their respectivesanghas. The bookChoosing Buddhism[18] by the cultural anthropologist Mauro Peressini provides a survey of the history of Buddhism in Canada and documents the conversion to Buddhism of eight notable contemporary Canadian Buddhists includingAjahn Viradhammo, Jim Bedard,Albert Low, Taigen Henderson, Zengetsu Myōkyo, Louis Cormier, Kelsang Drenpa and Tsultrim Palmo.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 10,407 | — |
| 1911 | 10,012 | −3.8% |
| 1921 | 11,281 | +12.7% |
| 1931 | 15,784 | +39.9% |
| 1941 | 15,635 | −0.9% |
| 1951 | 8,184 | −47.7% |
| 1961 | 11,611 | +41.9% |
| 1971 | 16,175 | +39.3% |
| 1981 | 51,955 | +221.2% |
| 1991 | 163,415 | +214.5% |
| 2001 | 300,345 | +83.8% |
| 2011 | 366,830 | +22.1% |
| 2021 | 356,975 | −2.7% |
| Sources: Beyer,[4] 2011[19] and 2021[16] Censuses | ||
| Province or territory | Buddhist population | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021[20] | 2011[21] | ||
 Ontario | 164,210 | 163,750 | +0.3% |
 British Columbia | 83,860 | 90,620 | −7.5% |
 Quebec | 48,370 | 52,385 | −7.7% |
 Alberta | 42,830 | 44,410 | −3.6% |
 Manitoba | 7,440 | 6,770 | +9.9% |
 Saskatchewan | 4,415 | 4,265 | +3.5% |
 Nova Scotia | 2,955 | 2,205 | +34.0% |
 New Brunswick | 1,115 | 975 | +14.4% |
 Prince Edward Island | 755 | 560 | +34.8% |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | 490 | 400 | +22.5% |
 Yukon | 260 | 295 | −11.9% |
 Northwest Territories | 250 | 170 | +47.1% |
 Nunavut | 20 | 20 | 0.0% |
 Canada | 356,975 | 366,830 | −2.7% |
| Province or territory | Buddhist[20] |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 1.68% |
| Ontario | 1.15% |
| Alberta | 1.00% |
| Yukon | 0.65% |
| Northwest Territories | 0.61% |
| Quebec | 0.57% |
| Manitoba | 0.55% |
| Prince Edward Island | 0.49% |
| Saskatchewan | 0.39% |
| Nova Scotia | 0.30% |
| New Brunswick | 0.14% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0.10% |
| Nunavut | 0.05% |
| Canada | 0.97% |
Public Safety Canada's 2023 statistics indicated that 1.9% of offenders in federal (CSC) facilities are Buddhists.[22]
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