Role of religion in voting in Canada: Not as easy to see as in the U.S., but it's there

 

The more religious Canadians are, they more then tend to vote Conservative. The less religious they are, the more they lean towards the NDP. Unless they are churchgoing mainline Protestants or Catholics, in which case they lean more toward the Liberals and NDP. 

That, in broad strokes and with some exceptions, is the conclusion reached by Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, a professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo, after analyzing the 2021 Canadian Election Study by Statistics Canada. 

“An individual’s strong religious beliefs and active involvement in a religious group affects their voting behaviour,” she said, adding the more traditionally religious a person is, the more likely it is they will support Conservative candidates “who are perceived to share their values.” 

Wilkins-Laflamme, who studies the impact of religion on Canadian society, is quick to note that while Canada is not like the U.S. when it comes to religion and voting, religion still plays a role in elections in this country — even if it isn’t as easy to see. 

Read my most recent column to learn more, including why if mainline Protestants and Catholics go to church more they tend more towards the Liberals and NDP. 

There’s a priest on the front page of the Free Press—and he’s not even in trouble!

In 2019, when my Religion in the News project started at the Free Press, the very first story we published was about Father Sam Argenziano—a priest who had served the Italian Catholic community in Winnipeg faithfully and well for decades. The story made the front page. 

I liked to tell people back then: “There’s a priest on the front page of the Free Press—and he’s not even in trouble!” 

Fast-forward to today. There’s another priest in the Free Press. Not on the front page, but not on the faith page, either. My story about Winnipeg’s new Archbishop, Murray Chatlain, is in the local section. 

(And when his predecessor, Archbishop Richard Gagnon, retired from his post, I wrote a story about him, too.) 

These stories show the goals of the project: To provide balance to religion coverage and to highlight the role faith plays in the city. The bad things will also be reported; there was a story in the paper about a Manitoba lawsuit for Roman Catholic clergy sexual abuse in the 1980s the same week. 

But those aren’t the only stories about religion that need to be told—as the project, and the story about Archbishop Chatlain, shows. 

Read about Winnipeg’s new archbishop in the Free Press.

Faithful but fearful: American clergy startled by intolerance in the U.S. seek ministry opportunities in Canada

American academics, scientists, researchers, doctors, nurses—all professions where people are thinking about moving to Canada. Now add clergy to that list. 

Since Trump’s inauguration, the the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada has received about 30 inquiries from Lutheran pastors in the U.S. about ministry opportunities in Canada. 

“They’re looking to immigrate to Canada because of concerns about the impact of Trump’s policies on education, healthcare, their own personal safety and the safety of their families,” said Jason Zinko, bishop for the Manitoba and Northwestern Synod of the ELCIC. 

I was able to interview two of those U.S. Lutheran clergy about their reasons for wanting to come to Canada. In both cases, the anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans messaging and laws in that country play a big role. 

Read my story in the Free Press.

The Catholic faith of Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney

Twenty-four people have been prime minister in Canada. Ten of them have called the Roman Catholic Church home. That number will grow to 11 after this election since both Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney are Catholics. 

But what does being Catholic mean for each man? Neither have spoken about it; Poilievre has given no interviews about his faith and Carney is so new to politics that he hasn’t had time to delve into it. What we do know about both can be found online in the writing of others.

Read my recent column to learn what we know about the Catholic faith of the two top contenders to lead Canada after April 28. 

Faith, Trump, tariffs and trade war: More faith leaders speak out

During the pandemic, the Free Press invited clergy and other faith leaders to share reflections about faith and the Covid emergency—what they were saying to their congregations and denominations. 

These submissions were published on the faith section of the Free Press website; between 20-30 were published there. 

Canada has another emergency today—the threat of tariffs and trade war with the U.S. I have explored what this means for faith groups in some columns. But we also wanted to invite faith leaders to share more about this topic. What are they saying to their congregations and denominations? 

To that end, the Free Press is accepting submissions from local faith leaders about this current emergency situation. We have published six so far on the faith section of the Free Press website, including these new ones.

Local pastors best placed to deal with political issues: Applying the Scriptures to the current moment for a local congregation is par for the course for a pastor. By Yuri Hooker, senior pastor of Bethesda Church. 

We are not helpless or alone: Simple things you can do when the world is in turmoil. By Janessa Nayler-Giesbrecht, pastor of Jubilee Mennonite Church. 

A call to courage and hope in this consequential moment. By By: Michael Pahl, executive minister for Mennonite Church Manitoba.

And previous posts:

Michael Wilson, minister at Charleswood United Church: “Faith a way to counter anxiety.” 

Erik Reedman Parker, minister at Sherwood Park Lutheran Church: “Trump and Martin Luther: How to live a Christian life in this current world.” 

Peter Bush, formerly the minister at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg and now the minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Fergus, Ont.: A prayer for a time of chaos and uncertainty. 

More will be coming! Already there are two more submissions ready to be edited. 

People of faith believe that faith has something to say about every situation facing people, even if only to trust God and not lose heart. And also about trade wars and tariffs.

New book explores the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of yoga

With an estimated seven million Canadians doing yoga, there’s no question the practice is popular today. 

But why is it so popular? That was the question on the mind of Paul Bramadat, director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria — and an avid yoga practitioner himself. 

Drawing from his own experience, and through conversations with hundreds of yoga teachers and students in the U.S. and Canada, Bramadat sought to find out what it means for people in the modern West. The result is his new book Yogalands: In Search of Practice on the Mat and in the World. 

Read my interview with Paul in my most recent column and also find out more about Yoga—why do more women than men do it? What is the main difference between those in the U.S. and Canada when it comes to doing Yoga? What about the spiritual aspects?

Clergy sexual abuse "unfathomable," says Archbishop of St. Boniface at special service for abuse survivors

 

“Unfathomable.” That’s the word Albert LeGatt, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Boniface, repeated multiple times last Friday during a prayer service that may have been the first of its kind across Canada — focusing on survivors of sexual assault committed by clergy. 

“When I think of this whole reality of sexual abuse, that’s the word that comes to mind,” LeGatt told about 75 people at Christ the King Parish on St. Mary’s Road. 

“When I hear stories from survivors and family members, I have a sense of the unfathomable. How could a person do that to another human being? To someone so little, whether that was by a priest, a parent, a coach, a teacher. How?” asked LeGatt. 

LeGatt said it is beyond his understanding how the church was silent on the subject for so long, as it just wanted it “to go away, not deal with it.” 

Read more about the service in the Free Press.

Photo above: Members of religious orders collect prayers during the service about survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Why are Canadian religious groups still silent about the impact of Trump's tariff threats?

(Don't you hate it when a columnist keeps banging on about the same thing? Here I go again . . . )

Earlier this week, a friend posted a prayer about Donald Trump’s tariffs and the silence of the churches over those threats. 

In it, he asked: “I thought you said you’d never let hell overcome it, O Lord. But seriously, what the hell is with your church?” 

It’s a good question. Six weeks after Trump launched the trade war, musing about taking over Canada, only one major Christian, Jewish or Muslim group or denomination has posted anything about this existential threat — despite the fact it dominates almost all discourse in this country these days. 

Read my recent column in the Free Press.

"It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish." Converts to Judaism spurred by Oct. 7 attack on Israel

 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an upsurge in antisemitism in Canada and around the world. But that hasn’t stopped some people from converting to Judaism. In fact, it has spurred some people to make the decision to convert. 

This includes Miriam Taylor-Pirogov (photo above), who was raised by a Jewish mother and attended a Winnipeg synagogue—but who never joined the Jewish faith. 

For her, the Hamas attack on Israel on was an awakening. The attack made her think it was time to go all-in. “I decided it was time to seize the day. It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish,” she said. 

Rabbi Kliel Rose has seen the new interest in converting since Oct. 7 first hand; it comes up frequently in conversation with people wanting to convert. 

“One man said he had thought for a long time about converting, then Oct. 7 pushed him into it,” he said. It was similar for a woman who is married to a Jewish man. “There was no pressure on her to convert, but she decided she had to do it after Oct. 7,” he said, adding a third person mentioned that date as an impetus for converting. 

Read my story about conversion to Judaism since Oct. 7 in the Free Press.

When election time comes, will Canadian Christians remember "the least of these?"

 

Reading about the Trump administration’s cuts foreign aid, putting the lives of what Jesus called “the least of these” in danger, Canadian Christians might be tempted to be smug. Surely we wouldn't do that here!

But before they get too high-minded, those Christians should remember that the leader of one federal party has pledged “massive” cuts to Canadian foreign aid if he is elected prime minister. It could happen here, depending on the outcome of the next election.

So, when election time comes, will Christians in Canada think of the least of these when they mark their ballots? It's going to be interesting to see what happens. 

Read my column in the Free Press.

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Impact of the pandemic, five years later: Scholars of religion weigh in

Five years ago in late February, I wrote in the Free Press about a mysterious new virus that was ravaging China. (I was ahead of the curve for once!)

“God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you,” I quoted a pastor in that country as saying.

“Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You.”

Back then, it all felt so far away and remote, a problem for people in another country. 

But before long we were all living in that reality as Canada, along with most of the rest of the world, shut down due to the pandemic a month later. 

In spring 2021, at the height of the pandemic, I reached out to scholars of religion asking them what they thought religion might look like in Canada when the emergency was over. They talked about how things like how attendance would fall and online would grow. 

Last month I went back to them to see if they still stood by what they said. Spoiler alert: They did. 

Click here to read my column.

God's mercy wide enough for all, including LGBTTQ+, esteemed conservative scholar says in new book

 

Since the mid-1990s, opposition to same-sex relationships in most North American evangelical churches, and many other Protestant denominations, has been informed by the work of theologian and scholar Richard B. Hays. 

Hays, the former dean of Duke Divinity School, was author of the widely influential 1996 book The Moral Vision of the New Testament. In it, he argued that same-sex relationships were “one among many tragic signs that we are a broken people, alienated from God’s loving purpose.” 

His scholarly work was used by many church leaders as justification for seeing same-sex relationships as sinful and to oppose affirmation of LGBTTQ+ Christians. 

So it was like an earthquake in many congregations across the U.S. and Canada when Hays publicly changed his mind on this topic. 

Hays, who died on Jan. 3 of cancer at the age of 76, made his case for welcoming LGBTTQ+ people into the family of God in his newest and last book, titled The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story. 

Read my column about Hays and his change of mind in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Everyone in Canada is talking about Trump's tariffs. What about religious leaders?

 

Politicians are talking about it. So are entertainers, comedians and the media. Even hockey fans are sharing their feelings about Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada when they boo the U.S. national anthem at hockey games. 

Everyone is talking about it, it seems — in coffee shops, stores, workplaces, you name it. What about in places of worship? 

That was the question on my mind as I saw the crescendo of conversation rise in Canada over the first few weeks of Trump’s presidency. In particular, I wondered what local clergy are saying about it to their members. I reached out to some for their thoughts. 

Read those thoughts in my latest Free Press column.

Antisemitism and other hate on the rise online: Researcher

When a Jewish school is shot at in Canada, it makes the news. So does an arson attack on a synagogue, or graffiti spray painted on Jewish-owned buildings. 

When those things happen, police, governments and the media all leap into action — as they should. Acts of hate against Jews, against Muslims, or against any group need to be called out and firmly addressed. 

But almost nothing is done about another form of hate that comes directly into our homes on a regular basis: online hate. And that concerns Andre Oboler, CEO of Australia’s Online Hate Prevention Institute. 

Prior to 2008, before social media, this form of online hate “did not exist because the platforms did not exist,” he said. “But it’s a different world today.” 

Through the institute, Oboler tracks online hate directed at Jews and other groups. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, the Institute has seen a 400 per cent rise in antisemitism on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and others. 

The biggest increases are in the platforms dominated by the far right, he said. “But it is growing everywhere.”

Read more in my recent Free Press column.

Your invitation to support faith coverage at the Winnipeg Free Press

If you think stories about religion should be reported by the media, here’s your chance to make sure that continues to happen at the Winnipeg Free Press.

 

The Free Press is the only major daily media outlet in Canada that still has a faith beat—and I am the only faith reporter in the country.

 

The beat is made possible by support from faith groups in Winnipeg that support the Religion in the News project at the Free Press—founded in 2019 to make sure stories about faith were reported by the newspaper.

 

Since that time, over 850 articles about faith in the province have been produced, along with 250 columns.

 

Along with support from faith groups, people like you are invited to make contributions to the project! You can ensure the paper can continue to report about faith by making a contribution of $25, $50 or more at the Religion in the News support page at the Free Press. (Note: Contributions are not tax deductible.)  

 

You can support this coverage even if you don’t live in Winnipeg—all stories are free to read on the Free Press website (along with religion stories from across Canada and around the world).

 

In case you are wondering what kinds of stories about faith are published by the Free Press, here’s a list from January:

 

·       ‘Gaza, but in slower motion’: Local Mennonites share about visit to West Bank

·       Federal committee urges end to tax deductions for places of worship

·       ‘Hate goes viral’: CMHR talk to focus on rising antisemitism

·       Indigenous, Muslim conference delves into colonization, racism

·       2025 marks the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism

·       Mosque becomes a reality for Morden’s Muslim families

·       Let’s live peacefully and meaningfully together in this land

·       Winnipeg Roman Catholic archbishop retires

·       From Ten Commandments to Synod on Synodality, it was quite a year

·       Sikh community builder to receive interfaith award

·       Spiritual care providers at personal care homes serve residents’ spiritual needs

·       Interfaith outreach program brings Winnipeggers together

·      Winnipeg festival to celebrate history, significance of Yiddish language

 

Thanks for supporting Religion in the News!

All-party committee receives recommendation to eliminate charitable tax deduction for giving to places of worship

Why should you get a charitable tax receipt for donating to the salary of your minister, priest or rabbi?

That’s the question asked by the B.C. Humanist Association — and now it’s also on a list of proposed recommendations for the federal government from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.

In its report, titled “Pre-Budget Consultations In Advance Of The 2025 Budget,” the Committee recommends the next budget of the federal government “amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose.”

It’s one of 462 recommendations in the report, which was created following consultations with Canadians last summer. It is the first time that idea has appeared in the Committee’s report. 

Read about this proposed change to Canada’s charitable tax law in my recent Free Press column.

 

Challenging historical notions about Indigenous people and religion in Canada

“In earnest, my dear brother, I am sorry for you from the bottom of my soul. Take my advice and turn Wendat; for I see plainly a vast difference between your condition and mine.”

That’s what Kondiaronk, a Wendat chief who lived from 1649-1701 in what is now Canada, said to a Frenchman when comparing his life, and religious beliefs, with those of the French.

 

Kondiaronk’s words, as recorded by Baron de Lahontan, challenge the old assertion that Europe and its religion was superior to the beliefs and way of life of Indigenous people—or that all Indigenous people felt that way.

 

Not even all of the French believed it. One missionary conceded there were aspects of Indigenous life that were superior to that of the French. “They have no lawsuits and take little pains to acquire the goods of this life, for which we Christians torment ourselves so much, and for our excessive and insatiable greed in acquiring them we are justly and with reason reproved by their quiet life and tranquil dispositions,” he wrote.

 

Read more about Kondiaronk, the French colonizers and religion in my Free Press column.

Photo above from Canadian Encyclopedia: Kondiaronk.

500 years ago, Anabaptists began to explore the meaning of true evangelical faith

Under cover of darkness, a dozen or so men quietly walked through the falling snow in Zurich, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 1525. The winter wind seemed to match the chill in their hearts as they made their way through the narrow streets to the home of Anna Manz, mother of Felix. 

The city council had ordered them to stop meeting for Bible study. What should they do? 

Once inside, they prayed for guidance. When the prayers ended, George Blaurock, a former priest, asked Conrad Grebel to baptize him. Grebel did so, and Blaurock proceeded to baptize the others. 

The Anabaptist movement was born. 

When what they had done became known, the Bible study group was arrested and jailed. But as soon as they were released, they began to travel and preach. 

2025 is the 500^th anniversary of Anabaptism. Read my story about the start of the Anabaptist movement in the Free Press. Also read about the persecution of the early Anabaptists in my article here in Anabaptist World.

Photo above: The Limmat River in Zurich, Switzerland, birthplace of Anabaptism, where Felix Manz became the city’s first Anabaptist martyr, drowned in the river on Jan. 5, 1527.

Two retiring politicians, Liberal and Conservative, reflect on their faith and politics

Faith is not a component of my life. It’s just my life. I don’t separate them.” That’s how John McKay, 76, Liberal Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood, describes how his Christian faith impacted his work as a politician for the past 23 years.

 

Adds Ed Fast, 69, who represents Abbotsford, B.C., for the Conservative Party of Canada: “My faith forms every aspect of my life,” an MP for 19 years. “Everything I have done as a politician is rooted in my faith values.” 

McKay and Fast, who are both retiring from politics in 2025, reflect on how their faith influenced their lives as politicians in my article about them in the most recent issue of Faith Today.