Why Canada Is Not Going to Become a Christian Nation—Even Under a Conservative Government
As Christians, many of us long for a society that reflects biblical values—truth, justice, compassion, the sanctity of life, and the traditional understanding of family. With the rise and resurgence of the Conservative Party in Canada, some believers have dared to hope that the tide might be turning. Yet, as a follower of Christ and a realist, I believe it’s time we face an important truth: Canada is not going to become a “Christian nation”—even under Conservative leadership.
Let’s unpack why.
1. Canada Is a Post-Christian Society
Canada is not simply a secular country—it is a post-Christian one. This means that Christian ideas are not only ignored by the mainstream culture; they are often viewed with suspicion or even hostility. The influence Christianity once had in public institutions—education, government, and the judiciary—has been steadily eroding for decades.A CALL TO LIBERTY is a Believer’s Call
According to the 2021 Canadian census, only about 53% of Canadians identified as Christian, down from 77% in 2001. Meanwhile, the number of people identifying as having “no religion” has surged to over 34%. These numbers reflect a deeper cultural shift where biblical values are no longer the default moral compass.
A Conservative government can win political power, but it cannot reverse this deep cultural trend overnight—nor does it appear interested in doing so in any substantial theological sense.
2. Political Conservatism ≠ Biblical Christianity
While many Christians naturally gravitate toward the Conservative Party because of its stance on issues like religious freedom, parental rights, and fiscal responsibility, we must not conflate political conservatism with biblical Christianity.
The modern Conservative Party of Canada is a big tent—it includes libertarians, economic nationalists, classical liberals, and social conservatives. To maintain electoral viability, party leaders often downplay hot-button moral issues. Abortion, for instance, remains legal and largely unchallenged. Even under Stephen Harper’s majority government, there was no substantial movement to restrict abortion or protect preborn life.
Why? Because the Conservative Party does not exist to implement Christian doctrine. It exists to win elections and govern within the framework of Canada’s secular democracy.
3. Christian Values Are Increasingly Politically Unpopular
Many core Christian values are now politically toxic. The biblical definition of marriage, the sanctity of life from conception, and the exclusivity of Christ are no longer seen as moral convictions but as threats to pluralism and individual rights.
Any politician who champions these values publicly risks being marginalized or demonized. Conservative politicians know this. As a result, most avoid moral clarity on these issues, choosing instead to focus on the economy, inflation, crime, and immigration. Assurance of Salvation Scriptures and Verses Explain
In other words, even if the Conservatives form government, they are unlikely to legislate from a Christian worldview—not because they are evil, but because doing so would make them unelectable in the long run.
4. The Charter and Legal Structure Limits Religious Influence
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, though it begins with the phrase “Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God,” has become the chief instrument used to limit Christian expression in the public sphere.
Court decisions have repeatedly favored secular interpretations of rights, particularly in areas such as education (e.g., forced LGBT curriculum in public schools), healthcare (e.g., MAiD—Medical Assistance in Dying), and public expression of faith (e.g., legal restrictions on pro-life protests near abortion clinics). These are not trends a Conservative government can easily reverse without years of legal reform and judicial appointments.
The legal structure itself has become a barrier to re-Christianization.
5. The Church’s Mission Was Never National Dominion
This may be the hardest truth to accept—but it’s also the most liberating: Jesus never called the Church to take political control. He called us to make disciples.
In John 18:36, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The early Church thrived under pagan empires and anti-Christian regimes—not by lobbying Caesar, but by faithfully preaching the gospel, caring for the poor, and embodying a radically different way of life.
Our hope is not in Parliament Hill but in Calvary.
What Should Christians Do Instead?
If Canada isn’t going to become a Christian nation, even under a Conservative government, what should we do?
- Engage politically, but don’t idolize politics. Vote your conscience, run for office, speak truth—but remember that no party is the Church.
- Strengthen your local church. This is the front line of gospel work. The Church, not the state, is God’s vehicle for cultural transformation.
- Make disciples. Personal evangelism and mentorship remain the most effective means of Christian influence.
- Be ready to suffer. As the cost of faith rises, so too will the power of our witness.
Final Thoughts
Political power can restrain evil temporarily—but only the gospel transforms hearts eternally. Canada may never become a Christian nation again in the cultural or legislative sense, but that does not mean our mission is lost. In fact, it means our mission is more urgent than ever.
Let us not look to earthly kings for salvation—but to the King of kings, whose reign is eternal and whose Church will prevail, even in post-Christian Canada.
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
—John 1:5
