Religion in Canada

Religion in Canada (2011 National Household Survey)

Religion in Canada encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs.

Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with the Catholic Church having the most adherents. Christians, representing 67.3% of the population, are followed by people having no religion with 23.9% of the total population. Islam is the second largest religion in Canada, practised by 3.2% of the population. Rates of religious adherence are steadily decreasing. The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms refers to God and the monarch carries the title of "Defender of the Faith". However, Canada has no official religion, and support for religious pluralism and freedom of religion is an important part of Canada's political culture.

Before the European colonization Aboriginal religions were largely animistic, including an intense reverence for spirits and nature. The French colonization beginning in the 17th century established a Roman Catholic francophone population in Acadia and in New France later Lower Canada, now Nova Scotia and Quebec. It has been followed by a British colonization that brought Anglicans and other Protestants to Upper Canada, now Ontario.