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List of prime ministers of Canada by religious affiliation

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This is a list of prime ministers of Canada by religious affiliation. It notes party affiliation after the name. Of the 23 persons to have held the office, 13 have been Protestants and 10 have been Catholics. However, Catholicism is the denomination that has provided the most prime ministers, as all 10 Catholic prime ministers have been Roman Rite Catholics, while the Protestant ones have belonged to no less than five denominations.

In early Canadian history, religion played an important role in politics. The Conservative Party was composed mainly of Anglicans and conservative French-Canadian Catholics while the Liberal Party was backed by reform-minded French Canadian Catholics and non-Anglican English Canadians due to their support in Quebec and Ontario.

List of prime ministers by religious affiliation

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Name Party Religion Branch Denomination Years in office Notes
Sir John A. Macdonald Liberal-Conservative Christian Protestant Anglican July 1, 1867–November 5, 1873,
October 17, 1878–June 6, 1891 		Raised Presbyterian, converted in 1875.
Alexander Mackenzie Liberal Christian Protestant Baptist November 7, 1873–October 8, 1878 Raised Presbyterian, but converted to Baptist at age 19 or 20.[1]
Sir John Abbott Liberal-Conservative Christian Protestant Anglican June 16, 1891–November 24, 1892
Sir John Thompson Liberal-Conservative Christian Catholic Latin Church December 5, 1892–December 12, 1894 Born a Methodist but converted to Catholicism when he married.
Sir Mackenzie Bowell Conservative (historical) Christian Protestant Presbyterian December 12, 1894–April 27, 1896 Orange Order leader
Sir Charles Tupper Conservative (historical) Christian Protestant Baptist May 1, 1896–July 8, 1896 Born a Baptist, married an Anglican and attended that church with his family. On his own sometimes attended Baptist churches.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church July 11, 1896–October 6, 1911 Strongly anti-clerical.[citation needed]
Sir Robert Borden Conservative (historical) Christian Protestant Anglican[2] October 10, 1911–July 10, 1920 Raised Presbyterian.
Arthur Meighen Conservative (historical) Christian Protestant Presbyterian[3] July 10, 1920–December 29, 1921,
June 29, 1926–September 25, 1926 		Became a major fundraiser for the Salvation Army.
William Lyon Mackenzie King Liberal Christian Protestant Presbyterian December 29, 1921–June 28, 1926,
September 25, 1926–August 7, 1930,
October 23, 1935–November 15, 1948 		Also a believer in various forms of mysticism.
Richard Bedford Bennett Conservative (historical) Christian Protestant United Church of Canada August 7, 1930–October 23, 1935 Was a Methodist before that denomination merged into the United Church of Canada.
Louis St. Laurent Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church November 5, 1948–June 21, 1957
John Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative Christian Protestant Baptist June 21, 1956–April 22, 1963
Lester B. Pearson Liberal Christian Protestant United Church of Canada April 22, 1963–April 20, 1968 Was a Methodist before that denomination merged into the United Church of Canada.
Pierre Trudeau Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church April 20, 1968–June 4, 1979,
March 3, 1980–June 30, 1984 		Believer in Catholic Personalism. Former board member of the Humanist Fellowship of Montreal.[4]
Joe Clark Progressive Conservative Christian Catholic Latin Church June 4, 1979–March 3, 1980
John Turner Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church June 30, 1984–September 17, 1984
Brian Mulroney Progressive Conservative Christian Catholic Latin Church September 17, 1984–June 25, 1993
Kim Campbell Progressive Conservative Christian Protestant Anglican June 25, 1993–November 4, 1993 Does not attend church and criticizes the treatment of women by organized religion. In 2004 she stated that religion "gets in the way of morality".[5][6]
Jean Chrétien Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church November 4, 1993–December 12, 2003 Strongly anti-clerical in his youth.
Paul Martin Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church December 12, 2003–February 6, 2006 Came into conflict with the Catholic Church over his support for the Civil Marriage Act, by not allowing Cabinet ministers to have conscience votes.
Stephen Harper Conservative (modern) Christian Protestant Christian and Missionary Alliance[7] February 6, 2006–November 4, 2015 Raised in the United Church of Canada.[8]
Justin Trudeau Liberal Christian Catholic Latin Church November 4, 2015–present Baptized and raised as a Catholic, became a lapsed Catholic in his youth until the death of his brother Michel. His mother is Anglican.[9]

Timeline

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Justin TrudeauStephen HarperPaul MartinJean ChrétienKim CampbellBrian MulroneyJohn TurnerJoe ClarkPierre TrudeauLester B. PearsonJohn DiefenbakerLouis St. LaurentR. B. BennettWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingArthur MeighenRobert BordenWilfrid LaurierCharles TupperMackenzie BowellJohn Sparrow David ThompsonJohn AbbottAlexander Mackenzie (politician)John A. Macdonald

See also

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Other countries

References

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  1. ^ Forster, Ben (1990). "Mackenzie, Alexander". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XII (1891–1900) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  2. ^ Brown, Robert Craig (2004). "Borden, Sir Robert Laird". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  3. ^ Glassford, Larry A. (2004). "Meighen, Arthur". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  4. ^ Bushfield, Ian (September 21, 2013). "Political Atheists". Terahertz. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Dobbin, Murray (1993). The Politics of Kim Campbell: From School Trustee to Prime Minister. James Lorimer.
  6. ^ "Morality vs Religion". 2004. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  7. ^ Campbell, Colin (February 20, 2006). "The church of Stephen Harper". Maclean's. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  8. ^ Mackey, Lloyd. "Comment: Latest evangelinks in the CA world". canadianchristianity.com.
  9. ^ Ditchburn, Jennifer (November 2, 2011). "Justin Trudeau fumes at Tory MP's 'bad Catholic' taunt". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
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