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May 20, 2013  |  About the Berkley Center  |  Directions to the Center  |  Subscribe
 
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COUNTRY

Canada

POPULATION

34,300,083 (July 2012 est.)

GDP PER CAPITA

$41,100 (2011 est.)

RELIGIONS

Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)


Canada

Canada

People (5)

Canada is an overwhelmingly Christian country, though the role of religion in public life has waned in recent decades. French settlement beginning in the 17th century established a Roman Catholic francophone population in Lower Canada, now Quebec, followed by English settlement that brought Anglicans and other Protestants to Upper Canada, now Ontario. The religious, cultural, and political antagonism between Canadian Protestants and Catholics remained a central theme of Canadian history. The most recent vote for Quebec’s secession from Canada, held in 1995, was defeated by only 1%. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits religiously based discrimination. Provinces are permitted to fund religious education in public schools, leading to funding of Catholic education in Catholic-majority areas like Quebec, and funding of Protestant education in much of the rest of the country.

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  • Lionelgroulx Lionel Groulx
    Lionel Groulx was a Roman Catholic priest, Canadian historian, and Quebec nationalist. Born in Quebec in 1878, he entered the priesthood and went on to teach at the University of Montreal. His study of Canadian history led him to become an outspoken advocate for Quebec self-government within a Canadian confederation. He successfully advanced his view that the Roman Catholic nature of French Canada was essential to improving the lot of the French Canadian nation, whereas it had previously been...
  • Harperstephen Stephen Harper
    Stephen Harper became the Prime Minister of Canada in 2006. The first prime minister from any conservative party since 1993, Harper increased military spending and cut taxes. A member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Harper is an evangelical Christian. He campaigned on a promise to stage another vote on the controversial bill that made Canada the fourth country to accept same-sex marriage, but ultimately parliament voted not to re-open the debate and maintain the decision to legalize...
  • Michel_marcil Michel Marcil
    Rev. Michel Marcil, SJ, is Executive Director of the U.S. Catholic China Bureau and previously was a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University. A native of Montréal, Québec, and an expert on Chinese religious questions, Fr. Marcil has served as founding Director of Amitié-Chine, co-founder of the Canadian Catholic Roundtable on China, and co-chair of the ecumenical Canada-China Program. Before becoming Executive Director of the USCCB...
  • Martinpaul Paul Martin
    Paul Edgar Philippe Martin was a Member of Parliament in Canada for the Liberal Party from 1988 until his retirement in 2008. Under Jean Chrétien, he served as the Minister of Finance and recorded five consecutive budget surpluses, acquiring a reputation as a fiscal conservative. He became the leader of the Liberal Party on November 14, 2003, and served as Prime Minister from December 2003 until February 2006. As Prime Minister, Martin's government introduced a same-sex marriage bill...
  • Novakdavid David Novak
    David Novak holds the J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Chair of Jewish Studies as Professor of the Study of Religion and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto since 1997. He is a member of The Centre for Ethics, a part of the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University College. From 1997 to 2002 he also was Director of the Jewish Studies Programme. In 2006 he received the Dean's Award for Excellence. From 1989 to 1997 he was the Edgar M. Bronfman Professor of Modern Judaic Studies...