Christian right Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Canada=== {{further|Social conservatism in Canada}} {{See also|Abortion in Canada}} Religion has been a key factor in Canadian politics since well before the [[Canadian Confederation]] was established in 1867, when the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservatives]] were the party of traditionalist Catholics and Anglicans and the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]] were the party of [[Protestant]] dissenters and [[anti-clerical]] Catholics. This pattern largely remained until the mid-twentieth century when a new division emerged between the [[Christian left]] (represented by the [[Social Gospel]] philosophy and [[ecumenicism]]) and the Christian right (represented by [[fundamentalism]] and [[biblical literalism]]). The [[Christian left]] (along with the secular and anti-religious left) became supporters of the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]] while the right moved to the [[Social Credit Party (Canada)|Social Credit Party]], especially in Western Canada, and to a lesser extent the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservatives]]. The Social Credit Party, founded in 1935, represented a major change in Canadian religious politics. Until that time, fundamentalists had shunned politics as "[[worldly]]", and a distraction from the proper practice of religion. However, the new party was founded by fundamentalist radio preacher and Bible school teacher [[William Aberhart]] or "Bible Bill". Aberhart mixed his own interpretation of scripture and prophecy with the [[monetary reform]] theories of [[social credit]] to create a movement that swept across Alberta, winning the provincial election of 1935 in a landslide. Aberhart and his disciple [[Ernest Manning]] then governed the province for the next forty years, several times trying to expand into the rest of Canada. In 1987 Manning's son, [[Preston Manning]], founded the new [[Reform Party of Canada]], which soon became the main party of the religious right. It won majorities of the seats in Western Canada in repeated elections, but was unable to break through in Eastern Canada, though it became the [[official opposition]] from 1997 to 2003 (Reform was renamed the [[Canadian Alliance]] in 2000). In 2003 the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives merged to create the [[Conservative Party of Canada]], led by [[Stephen Harper]], a member of the [[Christian and Missionary Alliance]], who went on to become [[prime minister of Canada|prime minister]] in 2006. The [[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]], introduced by the patriation of the [[Canadian Constitution]] in 1982, has been controversial within the Christian right in Canada. Although this Charter entrenches rights and freedoms (such as the freedom of religion) that central in the belief systems of the Christian right, it has also been interpreted by the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] to strike down many laws supported by the Christian right. In 1982, the Supreme Court struck down Canada's ''[[Blue law|Lords' Day Act]],'' which required many stored to be closed on Sundays, as an infringement the freedom of conscience and religion. Abortion, partly decriminalized in 1969 by an act of [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]], was completely decriminalized after the two ''R. v. Morgentaler'' cases ([[R. v. Morgentaler|in 1988]] and [[R. v. Morgentaler (1993)|in 1993]]). Parliament attempted to pass a new law governing abortion in 1993, but this legislation failed after a tie vote in the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]]. A series of provincial superior court decisions which legalized same-sex marriage led the federal government to introduce legislation that legalized [[same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage in all of Canada]]. Before he took office, former [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] prime minister [[Stephen Harper]] stated that he would hold a free vote on the issue,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2005/11/29/harper-smaesex051129.html |title=Harper reopens same-sex marriage debate |publisher=CBC TV |date=November 30, 2005 |access-date=February 29, 2008}}</ref> and declared the issue closed after it was voted down in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061207/samesexmarriage_vote_061207?s_name=&no_ads= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106100150/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061207/samesexmarriage_vote_061207?s_name=&no_ads= |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 6, 2007 |title=Harper declares same-sex marriage issue closed |access-date=February 29, 2008 |date=December 7, 2006 |publisher=CTV}}</ref> In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down [[Prostitution in Canada|Canada's prostitution law]] in ''[[Canada (AG) v Bedford|Canada v Bedford]]'', prompting the Stephen Harper government to introduce a new prostitution law fashioned after the [[Nordic model approach to prostitution|Nordic Model]]. In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down [[Euthanasia in Canada|Canada's prohibition on euthanasia]] in ''[[Carter v Canada (AG)|Carter v Canada]]'', again leading Parliament to pass a new law governing [[euthanasia]]. The Christian right has been critical of all these judicial decisions and have generally been the greatest advocates for the stringent laws against abortion, same-sex marriage, prostitution, and euthanasia, though in differing degrees. For instance, the Christian right in Canada is strongly and vocally organized on the topic of abortion, but criticism of same-sex marriage is far more seldom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2017 |title=Position Paper #93: Religion and Abortion |url=https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/media/position-papers/93-Religion-and-Abortion.pdf |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=arcc-cdac.ca}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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