MacDonaill wrote:
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins with the phrase Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law
The original version of O Canada (the French version) has unequivocal religious overtones, saying that Canada's arm knows how to carry the sword AND the Cross
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée
Il sait porter la croix
Catholic education in Ontario is guaranteed by the Constitution.
Just until recently, education in most provinces was confessional. English schools in Quebec were nearly all Protestant. Non-Catholic public schools in Ontario were all de facto Protestant schools that taught Protestant values. The list goes on and on.
Our Head of State, Her Majesty the Queen, is styled as having been 'Ordained by God' and also as the 'Defender of the [Anglican] Faith'.
So I would say that Canada is most definitely, at the origin, a Christian nation divvied up between Protestants and Catholics. That said, we have a tradition of keeping Church and State mostly separate by our own free will and by the demographic reality of the country.
I personally do not believe in Christianity or any other religion, but I accept the fact that I come from a Protestant Anglo-Saxon culture and I don't care if there is a bit of religion here and there in everyday life as long as it doesn't usurp the true law of the land, the Charter, or any of the personal liberties guaranteed thereby.
