Why Has Canada Not Developed An American-Style Religious Right?

Canada is culturally very similar to the United States, including having a smaller but still significant conservative evangelical Christian population. This evangelical presence is particularly noticeable in the second-largest party, the Conservatives. American-style religious rhetoric is commonly found on the political right, such as in the ‘trucker convoy’ that occupied the capital Ottawa in early 2022, and evangelicals were among the most skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines. Yet attempts to establish an effective American-style religious right in Canada have generally failed, especially on the key social conservative issues of reproduction and sexuality. While American evangelicals have rolled back abortion rights, introduced restrictive gender laws, etc., Canadian evangelicals are largely restricted to defensive actions, such as trying to preserve their tax status and discriminatory hiring restrictions. Canadian evangelicals also demonstrate more inclusive attitudes toward immigrants and non-Christian religions. And despite skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines, most evangelical churches voluntarily complied with public health restrictions unlike the widespread defiance in the United States. This paper will explore why Canada has not developed an American-style Religious Right. Reasons for the lack of traction for a Canadian Religious Right are threefold. One is differences in evangelical traditions, with historically greater influence by British evangelical figures and a more irenic and less polarizing approach. A second is the greater predominance of Catholics in Canada, especially in Quebec historically. This significantly influences the dynamic of religion and politics in Canada, with an aggressive secularization agenda.in Quebec that counterbalances the mainly English-speaking evangelical movement. The third is differences in political systems. The greater centralization of the Canadian parliamentary system allows party leaders, especially in the Conservatives, to manage their evangelical supporters and deflect or dilute their more polarizing demands. Thus, while Canadian evangelical rhetoric and activity does show resemblance to the American Religious Right, its actual impact is limited.