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Protestantism in Canada

Out of the 22 million or so Canadians who reported themselves as Christian (67.3% of the population) in two government studies conducted in 2011 (the Population Census and the Household Survey), 5 million self-identified as belonging to a branch of Protestantism (17% of the population). Protestantism is the second-most represented religious movement in Canada, after the Roman Catholic Church, which has more than 12 million followers (40% of the population). Orthodox Christians meanwhile represent 1.6% of the population.

This division between Catholics and Protestants has been part of the country’s history since its founding, and has long manifested in conflicts, varying in passion depending on the period. Such religious tensions have also arisen from the opposition between Francophones (Catholics who arrived from France) and Anglophones (Protestants of British origin) in the colony’s early days. For more details, see the Canadian Encyclopedia.

The Protestant currents with which the most worshippers identify in Canada are the Unitarian Church (2,007,610), the Anglican Church (1,631,845), the Baptist tradition (635,840), Pentecostalism (478,705), the Lutheran Church (478,184) and the Presbyterian Church (472,385). Furthermore, there is reason to believe that some of the 3,036,780 Canadians who do not identify with the denominations listed, and who have thus chose the label “Other Christian”, are associated with a tradition of Protestant inspiration.

Source: Gouvernement du Canada, Regard sur la démographie canadienne, 2e édition, Division de la démographie, 2016, p. 39.

D 19 March 2018    AMathilde Vanasse-Pelletier

CNRS Unistra Dres Gsrl

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