Between America and Europe: Religion, Politics and Evangelicals in Canada

Abstract

While the United States and Western Europe are often presented as contrasting models of religion and politics, countries like Canada fit somewhere in the middle. This paper looks at evangelical Christian political activity in Canada, which features a modified version of American-style religious activism on a terrain closer to European politics, with parliamentary institutions, state church legacies and a largely secular political culture. It pays particular attention to developments since 2000 and links between evangelicals and the governing Conservative Party of Canada. It argues that, while these recent developments may signal a shift toward the American model, the Canadian case still suggests alternatives beyond a simple dichotomy between American and secular European models of religion and politics.