List of Prime Ministers of Canada by religious affiliation

This is a list of Prime Ministers of Canada by religious affiliation. It notes party affiliation after the name.

In early Canadian history religion played an important role in politics. The Conservative Party of Canada was composed mainly of Anglicans and conservative French Canadian Catholics while the Liberal Party of Canada was backed by reform minded French Canadian Catholics and non-Anglican English Canadians. In more recent years religion has played a background role in Canadian politics. Modern Prime Ministers have been reticent about discussing their faith.

See also Religion in Canada.

Christian (23 PMs, 40 mandates)

Roman Catholic (10 PMs, 18 mandates)

  1. Sir John Thompson (Conservative)
    • Born a Methodist but converted to Catholicism when he married.
  2. Sir Wilfrid Laurier (Liberal)
  3. Louis St. Laurent (Liberal)
  4. Pierre Trudeau (Liberal)
  5. Joe Clark (Conservative)
  6. John Napier Turner (Liberal)
  7. Brian Mulroney (Conservative)
  8. Jean Chrétien (Liberal)
    • Strongly anti-clerical in his youth.
  9. Paul Martin (Liberal)
  10. Justin Trudeau (Liberal)

Anglican (4 PMs, 8 mandates)

  1. Sir John A. Macdonald (Conservative)
  2. Sir John Abbott (Conservative)
  3. Sir Robert Borden[1] (Conservative)
  4. Kim Campbell (Conservative)
    • Does not attend church and once stated that she was "uneasy about organized religion"

Presbyterian (3 PMs, 6 mandates)

  1. Sir Mackenzie Bowell (Conservative)
  2. Arthur Meighen (Conservative)
  3. William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal)
    • Also a believer in various forms of mysticism.

Baptist (3 PMs, 4 mandates)

  1. Alexander Mackenzie (Liberal)
  2. Sir Charles Tupper (Conservative)
    • Born a Baptist, married an Anglican and attended that church with his family.
    • On his own sometimes attended Baptist churches.
  3. John Diefenbaker (Conservative)

United Church of Canada (2 PM, 3 mandates)

  1. Richard Bedford Bennett (Conservative)
  2. Lester B. Pearson (Liberal)
    • Was a Methodist before that denomination merged into the United Church of Canada.

Christian and Missionary Alliance (1 PM, 3 mandates)

  1. Stephen Harper[3] (Conservative)

See also

References

  1. Brown, Robert Craig (2004). "Borden, Sir Robert Laird". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
  2. Glassford, Larry A. (2004). "Meighen, Arthur". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
  3. Campbell, Colin (20 February 2006). "The church of Stephen Harper". Macleans. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
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