in Canada is December
Christian Heritage Month website | Proclamations | Petition Governments
Our survey shows almost 70% of Christians “Never heard of it”!
Christianity in Canada
Christianity in Canada traces its roots back to the arrival of European explorers and missionaries almost 500 years ago. From that time to now, Christians have been sharing the good news… “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16, The Bible)
Jacques Cartier and others brought Catholicism to the St. Lawrence Valley in the 1500s. By the early 1600s, French Jesuit missionaries brought salvation through Jesus Christ to “New France” or what is now Quebec. As British power replaced French rule after the fall of New France in 1763, evangelicals gained prominence. Early immigrants from Britain, Ireland and the American colonies came to Canada seeking freedom of religion and other freedoms. Christian families established churches, hospitals, schools, businesses and more.
In the early 1800s, revivals swept through Upper Canada (now Ontario) that would influence Canadian moral and political life for generations. In 1866 Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, a Father of Confederation and devout Christian, is credited with suggesting the name “Dominion of Canada”. He was inspired by Psalm 72:8 in the King James Version of the Bible, which states, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea”.
By Confederation in 1867, Christianity—both Catholic and Protestant—was deeply embedded in Canadian institutions, shaping education, healthcare, and public morality. Christian churches played a central role in the expansion westward. Missionaries accompanied settlers into the Prairies and the North, building missions, hospitals, schools and businesses. Christian churches were engines of social reform.
The Social Gospel movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s called Christians to address poverty, alcoholism, and inequality through political action, helping lay the moral groundwork for Canada’s later social welfare policies and legislation.
In 1927, the Peace Tower on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill was completed as a memorial to Canadians who lost their lives in the First World War and other conflicts. The Peace Tower features three Bible verses inscribed on its exterior, each located above a stained glass window. The verse on the East window is Psalm 72:8. The South window bears Psalm 72:1, “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son”. The West window displays Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”.
Throughout the mid-20th century, Christian churches remained central to Canadian life. Sunday services were widely attended; Christian holidays defined the calendar; and churches influenced politics, education, and social values. The late 20th century brought renewal. Even as mainstream denominations declined, Christianity in Canada did not disappear—it changed form. Evangelical, Pentecostal, and non-denominational movements grew, particularly among immigrants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. New churches flourished in urban centres, and Indigenous Christians began reclaiming their faith in powerful new expressions of worship.
Today
Today, Christianity remains Canada’s largest religion. According to 2021 census data, Christians comprised 53.3% of Canada’s population, compared with nearly 90% in the 1970s. The largest Christian denomination in 2021 was the Catholic Church, at about 29.9% of the population. Other denominations or non-denominationals make up the remaining more than 23% of the population.
A report by Cardus, “The Hidden Economy: How Faith Helps Fuel Canada’s GDP” (2020), estimates that religion’s annual contribution to Canadian society (including economic, social-service, educational, and health-care activity) is more than CAD $67 billion annually. The value is even greater considering spin-off services – shelters, food and clothing programs, counseling and more – that government might otherwise provide at taxpayer expense. If we consider household incomes of religiously affiliated Canadians, the value of faith to Canadian society is estimated at nearly $690 billion annually. These estimates include the value of all faiths in Canada but Christians would make up the largest percentage of this benefit.
Christianity’s influence and value endures in Canada—in moral values and traditions, national holidays, and ongoing work toward justice, financial contributions, families and communities.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the more than 50% of Canadians – half the people on your street – who say they are “Christian” put up a lawn sign or somehow recognized their Christian roots? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if many of those came back to church and (re)turned to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior? Order your lawn sign today…
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