Religion in Canada

The complex religious heritage of the nation of Canada. For thousands of years before European contact, Native Americans dwelling in what is now Canada practiced various forms of Native American Religions. In the far north, in areas bordering the Arctic Ocean, this heritage has been Inuit (Eskimo). Inuit spiritual practice has particularly involved hunting religion (see PRIMAL RELIGION) and SHAMANISM. The Native American religious heritage, evidenced in such common symbols as the "totem pole," has been important to many Canadians of both indigenous and European or other descent. The Roman Catholic Church came to Canada with French settlement in what is now Nova Scotia in 1603, spreading to the present Québec in 1608. With the settlements came Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries eager to spread Catholicism among the native population. During the 17th century, European Canada, centered around the St. Lawrence River, was essentially French and Catholic. But rivalry with Britain, as it established colonies on the Atlantic seaboard of what would become the United States, was intense and resulted in a few Protestant settlements in the area. In 1763, as a result of the treaty ending the Seven Years' War (known in America as the French and Indian War), Canada passed from French to British rule. British settlers, soon abetted by Loyalists from the rebellious Thirteen Colonies south of Canada, quickly occupied the territories now known as the Maritime Provinces and Ontario. Soon the fundamental religious and cultural alignment of Canada that has prevailed ever since was in place: Québec, the main area of original French settlement, French in language and culture and Roman Catholic in religion; the Maritime Provinces, Ontario, and, in time, provinces further west were mainly Protestant, with signifi cant Catholic minorities. Protestants were originally largely Anglicans from England, Presbyterians from Scotland, and members of smaller British denominations. Roman Catholics from Ireland also came to Canada. Canada is, however, like the United States (see UNITED STATES, RELIGION IN), a nation of immigrants and so a nation of religious pluralism. Over the years, German, Scandinavian, Dutch, and eastern European newcomers brought Lutheran, Reformed, and EASTERN ORTHODOX religious life to the northern nation. Russian MENNONITES, seeking religious freedom, arrived in 1874, and Chinese Buddhist railroad workers in the 1880s. A Jewish synagogue was established as early as 1760 near Montréal. In the 20th century, SIKHS, Muslims (see ISLAM), and HINDUS came to Canada in signifi cant numbers. By the turn of the 21st century, Canada's population of 31 million was 45 percent Roman Catholic and nearly 25 percent Protestant and other Christians, such as Mormon and Eastern Orthodox. The largest Protestant denomination was the United Church of Canada, formed in 1925 as a union of Methodists, Congregationalists, and some Presbyterians. Next largest was the Anglican Church of Canada. Most other wings of Christianity were represented, and Canadians also included some 600,000 Muslims, 400,000 Jews, 300,000 Hindus, 300,000 Sikhs, and 250,000 Buddhists. Many Canadians were nonreligious. In the latter half of the 20th century, religious life in Canada seemed to be in decline. It appeared to be at a midpoint between most of Europe, where church attendance has fallen precipitously since the end of World War II, and the United States, where it has remained at a high level. All major denominations had decreased in membership except Pentecostalism, which has increased. The Roman Catholic Church, while growing in absolute numbers, has seen attendance decline signifi - cantly. Québec, once a stronghold of traditional French Catholicism, is now no more religious than anywhere else. It seems clear that Canada has a distinct religious culture that is fi nding a middle way between Europe and the United States.