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.
| Name | Party | Religion | Branch | Denomination | Years in office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal-Conservative | Christian | Protestant | Anglican | –, – | Raised Presbyterian, converted in 1875. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Protestant | Baptist | – | Raised Presbyterian, but converted to Baptist at age 19 or 20.[1] | |||
| Liberal-Conservative | Christian | Protestant | Anglican | – | ||||
| Liberal-Conservative | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | Born a Methodist but converted to Catholicism when he married. | |||
| Conservative (historical) | Christian | Protestant | Presbyterian | – | Orange Order leader | |||
| Conservative (historical) | Christian | Protestant | Baptist | – | Born a Baptist, married an Anglican and attended that church with his family. On his own sometimes attended Baptist churches. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | Strongly anti-clerical. | |||
| Conservative (historical) | Christian | Protestant | Anglican[2] | – | Raised Presbyterian. | |||
| Conservative (historical) | Christian | Protestant | Presbyterian[3] | –, – | Became a major fundraiser for the Salvation Army. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Protestant | Presbyterian | –, –, – | Also a believer in various forms of mysticism. | |||
| Conservative (historical) | Christian | Protestant | United Church of Canada | – | Was a Methodist before that denomination merged into the United Church of Canada. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Christian | Protestant | Baptist | – | ||||
| Liberal | Christian | Protestant | United Church of Canada | – | Was a Methodist before that denomination merged into the United Church of Canada. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | –, – | Believer in Catholic Personalism. Former board member of the Humanist Fellowship of Montreal.[4] | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | ||||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Christian | Protestant | Anglican | – | 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] | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | Strongly anti-clerical in his youth. | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | – | Came into conflict with the Catholic Church over his support for the Civil Marriage Act, by not allowing Cabinet ministers to have conscience votes. | |||
| Conservative (modern) | Christian | Protestant | Christian and Missionary Alliance[7] | – | Raised in the United Church of Canada.[8] | |||
| Liberal | Christian | Catholic | Latin Church | –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] | |||