Christianity in Canada

Population distribution of Christian Canadians by census division, 2021 census
Total population
19,373,330[1] 53.3% of the total Canadian population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Ontario	7,315,815 (52.14%)
Quebec	5,385,240 (64.82%)
Alberta	2,009,820 (48.11%)
British Columbia	1,684,870 (34.27%)
Manitoba	708,850 (54.23%)
Languages
Canadian English •Canadian French OtherLanguages of Canada
Related ethnic groups
American Christians •Australian Christians •British Christians •New Zealander Christians

Christianity is the most commonreligion in Canada, with 53.3% of the total population or 19.3 million people being Christian in2021.^[1][2] Thepreamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms refers to God. TheFrench colonization beginning in the 17th century established a Roman Catholicfrancophone population inNew France, especiallyAcadia andLower Canada (nowNova Scotia,New Brunswick andQuebec).British colonization brought waves ofAnglicans and otherProtestants toUpper Canada, nowOntario. TheRussian Empire spreadOrthodox Christianity in a small extent to the tribes in the far north and western coasts, particularly hyperborean nomads like theInuit. Orthodoxy would arrive in mainland Canada with immigrants from the eastern and southernAustro-Hungarian Empire and western Russian Empire starting in the 1890s; then refugees from theSoviet Union,Eastern Bloc,Greece and elsewhere during the last half of the 20th century.

The majority of Canadian Christians attendchurch services 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).^[3] Regional differences within Canada exist, however, withBritish Columbia andQuebec reporting especially low metrics of traditional religious observance, as well as a significant urban-rural divide, whileAlberta and ruralOntario 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 perChristianity Today magazine. This American magazine reported that three polls conducted byFocus 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 theUniversity 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, includingOrthodox Christianity. The Egyptian population inOntario andQuebec (Greater Toronto in particular) has seen a large influx of theCoptic Orthodox population in just a few decades. The relatively largeUkrainian population ofManitoba andSaskatchewan has produced many followers of theUkrainian Catholic andUkrainian 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 theMaritimes. The Maritimes, prairie provinces, andsouthwestern Ontario have significant numbers ofLutherans. SouthwestOntario has seen large numbers of German and Russian immigrants, including manyMennonites andHutterites, as well as a significant contingent of Dutch Reformed.Alberta has seen considerable immigration from the American plains, creating a significantMormon minority in that province.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claimed to have 178,102 members (74,377 of whom in Alberta) at the end of 2007.^[4] And according to theJehovah's Witnesses year report there are 111,963 active members (members who actively preach) in Canada.

Canada as a nation is becoming increasingly religiously diverse, especially in large urban centres such asToronto,Vancouver, andMontreal, where minority groups and new immigrants who make up the growth in most religious groups congregate. Two significant trends become clear when the current religious landscape is examined closely. One is the loss of 'secularized' Canadians as active and regular participants in the churches and denominations they grew up in, which were overwhelminglyChristian, 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 MainlineProtestants andRoman 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.^[5] 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. FromChineseAnglican orKoreanUnited Church communities, to theLutheran focus on providing much needed services to immigrants new to the Canadian context andEnglish language, immigration is making changes.^[6]

For some Protestantdenominations, adapting to a newsecular context has meant adjusting to their non-institutional roles in society by increasingly focusing onsocial justice.^[7] 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 fulfils a more 'institutionally complete' role as a buffer in this new country over the current tension filled debates oversame-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 theHong Kong context whereordination ofFlorence Li Tim Oi happened long before women's ordination was ever raised on the CanadianAnglican church level.^[8]

As well amulticultural focus on the churches part may include non-Christian elements (such as the inclusion of aBuddhist priest in one incident) which are unwelcome to the transplanted religious community.^[9] 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 when 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 its life-cycle rituals governing birth, marriage, and death.^[10]

Evangelical portions of the 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.^[11] What is significant is the higher participation of their members in contrast to MainlineProtestants andRoman Catholics. This high commitment would seem to translate into the kind of political power evangelicals in the United States enjoy but despite Canada's historicallyChristian background asLori Beaman notes neatly "...[forming] the backdrop for social process"^[12] explicit religiosity appears to have not effectively moved the government towards legal discrimination against gay marriage. Much as many Roman Catholics inQuebec ignore the Church's stance onbirth control,abortion, orpremarital sex, the churches do not dictate much of the daily lives of regular Canadians.^[13]

There was a major religious revival in Toronto in the 1990s known as theToronto Blessing at a smallVineyard Church near theToronto Pearson International Airport. This religious event was the largest tourist attraction to Toronto^[14] in the year 1994. This event was characterized by unusual religious ecstasy such as beingslain in the Spirit,laughing uncontrollably, and other odd behavior.

A 2015 study estimates some 43,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background in Canada, most of whom belong to the evangelical tradition.^[15]

Province/Territory	Christians
Newfoundland and Labrador	82.44%[16]
Nunavut	73.53%[17]
Prince Edward Island	67.62%[18]
New Brunswick	67.52%[19]
Quebec	64.82%[20]
Nova Scotia	58.18%[21]
Saskatchewan	56.31%[22]
Manitoba	54.23%[23]
Northwest Territories	55.16%[24]
Canada	53.33%[25]
Ontario	52.14%[26]
Alberta	48.11%[27]
Yukon	35.01%[28]
British Columbia	34.27%[29]

Christian denominations inCanada
Canadian interchurch Canadian Council of Churches Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America North Am. Presbyterian and Reformed Council
Anabaptist andFriends Canadian Mennonite Brethren Churches Canadian Yearly Meeting (Quakers) Mennonite Church Canada
Baptist andStone-Campbell 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 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Evangelical Christian Church in Canada
Anglican andCatholic Anglican Church of Canada Anglican Church in North America Polish National Catholic Church Catholic Church in Canada Ukrainian Catholic, Winnipeg
Holiness andPietist Christian and Missionary Alliance, Canada Church of the Nazarene Evangelical Free Church of Canada Baptist General Conference of Canada The 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
Eastern andOriental Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, N.Am. Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Canada Orthodox Church in America American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada 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 United Pentecostal Church Intl.
Presbyterian andReformed 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 Evangelical Orthodox Church Messianic Jewish Alliance of America Plymouth Brethren Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada LDS Church Vineyard Canada Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada
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Christian denominations in Canada are usually divided into two large groups:Protestantism and theCatholic Church. There are also Christian denominations that do not fall within either of these groups, such asEastern Orthodoxy andOriental Orthodoxy, but they are much smaller.

Protestantism in Canada has existed ever since parts of northern Canada were colonized by the English.

The Amish population in Canada as of 2018, is 5,375.^[31] There are Amish settlements in four provinces:Ontario,Prince Edward Island,Manitoba, andNew Brunswick. The majority of Old Order settlements is located in the province of Ontario, namelyOxford (Norwich Township) andNorfolk counties. A small community is also established inBruce County (Huron-Kinloss Township) nearLucknow.

In mid-1870s Hutterites moved from Europe to theDakota Territory in the United States to avoid military service and other persecutions.^[32] DuringWorld War I Hutterites suffered from persecutions in the United States because they are pacifist and refused military service.^[33][34] They then moved almost all of their communities to Canada in the Western provinces of Alberta and Manitoba in 1918.^[34] In the 1940s, there were 52 Hutterite colonies in Canada.^[34]

Today, more than 75% of the world's Hutterite colonies are located in Canada, mainly in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the rest being almost exclusively in the United States.^[35] The Hutterite population in North America is about 45,000 people.^[36]

Mennonites first arrived in Canada in 1786 fromPennsylvania, but following Mennonites arrived directly from Europe.^[37] TheCanadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches had 37,000 members across 250 congregations,^[38] and theMennonite Church Canada had about 35,000 members in 212 congregations in 1998.^[39]

The Catholic Church in Canada, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and theCanadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, has the largest number of adherents to a religion in Canada, with 38.7% of Canadians (13.07 million) reported as Catholics in the 2011 National Household Survey, in 72dioceses across the provinces and territories, served by about 8,000 priests. It was the first European faith in what is now Canada, arriving in 1497 whenJohn Cabot landed onNewfoundland and raised the Venetian and Papal banners, claiming the land for his sponsor KingHenry VII of England, while recognizing the religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church.^[40]

Adherents ofEastern Orthodox Christianity in Canada belong to several ecclesiastical jurisdictions. Historically, Eastern Orthodoxy was introduced to Canada during the course of 19th century, mainly through emigration of Christians fromEastern Europe and theMiddle East. Honoring such diverse heritage, Eastern Orthodoxy in Canada is traditionally organized in accordance with patrimonial jurisdictions ofautocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, each of them having its own hierarchy with dioceses and parishes. According to 2021 census data,Greek Orthodox community constitutes the largest Eastern Orthodox community in Canada, with 204,025 adherents. It is followed by other communities:Russian Orthodox (28,245), Ukrainian Orthodox (25,975),Serbian Orthodox (25,445),Romanian Orthodox (16,120),Macedonian Orthodox (6,050),Bulgarian Orthodox (3,825),Antiochian Orthodox (2,140) and several other minor communities within Eastern Orthodoxy.^[41]

Adherents ofOriental Orthodox Christianity in Canada also belong to several ethnic communities and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. According to 2011 census data,Coptic Orthodox community constitutes the largest Oriental Orthodox community in Canada, with 16,255 adherents. It is followed by other communities: Armenian Orthodox (13,730), Ethiopian Orthodox (3,025), Syriac Orthodox (3,060) and several other minor communities within Oriental Orthodoxy.^[41]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has had a presence in Canada since its organization in New York State in 1830.^[42] Canada has been used as a refuge territory by members of the LDS Church to avoid the anti-polygamy prosecutions by the United States government.^[43] The first LDS Church in Canada was established in 1895 in what would become Alberta; it was the first stake of the Church to be established outside the United States.^[44] The LDS Church has founded several communities in Alberta.

In 2011, the LDS Church of Canada claimed around 200,000 members; the 2011 Canadian National Household Survey calculates around 100,000.^[45] It has congregations in all Canadian provinces and territories and possess at least one temple in six of the ten provinces, including the oldest LDS temple outside the United States. Alberta is the province with the most members of the LDS Church in Canada, having approximately 40% of the total of Canadian LDS Church members and representing 2% of the total population of the province (the National Household survey has Alberta with over 50% of the Canadian Mormons and 1.6% of the province's population^[45]), followed by Ontario and British Columbia.^[46]

Christian Canadians
Ethnic groups (2001−2021)

	2021 [1][47]		2011 [48]		2001 [49]
	Population	%	Population		Population	%
European	14,908,365	76.95%	18,588,045	84.1%	20,309,200	88.87%
African	1,068,800	5.52%	720,230	3.26%	523,715	2.29%
Filipino	898,050	4.64%	497,450	2.25%	300,025	1.31%
Indigenous	849,815	4.39%	889,315	4.02%	804,430	3.52%
Latin American	427,065	2.2%	322,675	1.46%	193,440	0.85%
Chinese	347,245	1.79%	318,935	1.44%	274,350	1.2%
South Asian	245,035	1.26%	185,345	0.84%	124,320	0.54%
Multiracial	147,375	0.76%	87,380	0.4%	39,395	0.17%
Arabs	135,390	0.7%	95,590	0.43%	65,790	0.29%
Koreans	127,190	0.66%	111,350	0.5%	76,235	0.33%
Southeast Asians	104,045	0.54%	92,775	0.42%	55,430	0.24%
West Asians	35,965	0.19%	15,100	0.07%	8,450	0.04%
Japanese	19,235	0.1%	24,190	0.11%	24,605	0.11%
Other Ethnicity	59,755	0.31%	54315	0.25%	52,410	0.23%
Total Christian Canadian Population	19,373,330	100%	22,102,700	100%	22,851,825	100%

Christianity first arrived in the territory later known as Canada in 1497, when the Catholic,John Cabot, landed onNewfoundland, raised theVenetian andPapal banners and claimed the land for his sponsor KingHenry VII of England, while recognizing the religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church.^[40] A letter of John Day states that Cabot landed on 24 June 1497 and "he landed at only one spot of the mainland, near the place where land was first sighted, and they disembarked there with a crucifix and raised banners with the arms of the Holy Father and those of the King of England".^[50]In 1608,Samuel de Champlain founded the first Catholic colony inQuebec City.

• Demographics of Canada
• History of religion in Canada
• Religion in Canada
• Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
• Clerico-nationalism

• Estrelda Y. Alexander, ed. (2018).The Dictionary of Pan-African Pentecostalism. Volume One: North America. Eugene, Or: Cascade Books.ISBN 978-1-4982-8477-6.
• Peter Bush (Sept 1987). "The Reverend James Caughey and Wesleyan Methodist Revivalism in Canada West, 1851–1856,"Ontario History, Vol. 79, Issue 3, pp. 231–250.
• Nancy Christie; Michael Gauvreau (2010).Christian Churches and Their Peoples, 1840–1965: A Social History of Religion in Canada. University of Toronto Press.ISBN 978-1-4426-6001-4.
• Terence J. Fay (2002).History of Canadian Catholics. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP.ISBN 978-0-7735-6988-1.
• Kevin N. Flatt.After Evangelicalism: The Sixties and the United Church of Canada (2013).
• Eileen W. Lindner, ed. (Feb 14, 2011).Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. National Council of Churches. (overview)
• Terrence Murphy; Roberto Perin (1996).A concise history of Christianity in Canada. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-540758-7.
• Mark A. Noll (1992).A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids, Mi: Eerdmans Publ.
• Mark A. Noll (2007).What Happened to Christian Canada?. Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing.
• Daniel G. Reid; Robert Dean Linder; Bruce Leon Shelley; Harry S. Stout, eds. (1990).Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press.ISBN 0-8308-1776-X.
• John G. Stackhouse Jr. (1998).Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century: An Introduction to Its Character. Regent College Publishing.ISBN 978-1-57383-131-4.
• Elam Rush Stimson (2008).History of the Separation of Church and State in Canada. BiblioBazaar.ISBN 978-0-559-67266-8.

• Christianity in Canada

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• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata