Religious affiliation of candidates to the prime ministership of Canada

The following table lists the religious affiliation of the major contenders to the prime ministership for each federal election. The featured contenders have generally been the leader of the Liberal Party and the leader of the Conservative Party. The only exceptions were the elections of 1997 and 2000, where most people considered that the main challenger to the Liberal Party was not the Progressive Conservatives but rather the Reform Party and the Canadian Alliance. Protestant contenders appear on orange background while Catholic contenders appear on blue background.

YearWinnerLoser
1867John A. MacdonaldGeorge Brown
1872John A. MacdonaldEdward Blake
1874Alexander MackenzieJohn A. Macdonald
1878John A. MacdonaldAlexander Mackenzie
1882John A. MacdonaldEdward Blake
1887John A. MacdonaldEdward Blake
1891John A. MacdonaldWilfrid Laurier
1896Wilfrid LaurierCharles Tupper
1900Wilfrid LaurierCharles Tupper
1904Wilfrid LaurierRobert Laird Borden
1908Wilfrid LaurierRobert Laird Borden
1911Robert Laird BordenWilfrid Laurier
1917Robert Laird BordenWilfrid Laurier
1921William Lyon Mackenzie KingArthur Meighen
1925Arthur MeighenWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King
1926William Lyon Mackenzie KingArthur Meighen
1930Richard Bedford BennettWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King
1935William Lyon Mackenzie KingRichard Bedford Bennett
1940William Lyon Mackenzie KingRobert James Manion
1945William Lyon Mackenzie KingJohn Bracken
1949Louis St-LaurentGeorge Drew
1953Louis St-LaurentGeorge Drew
1957John George DiefenbakerLouis St-Laurent
1958John George DiefenbakerLester B. Pearson
1962John George DiefenbakerLester B. Pearson
1963Lester B. PearsonJohn George Diefenbaker
1965Lester B. PearsonJohn George Diefenbaker
1968Pierre Elliott TrudeauRobert Stanfield
1972Pierre Elliott TrudeauRobert Stanfield
1974Pierre Elliott TrudeauRobert Stanfield
1979Joe ClarkPierre Elliott Trudeau
1980Pierre Elliott TrudeauJoe Clark
1984Brian MulroneyJohn Turner
1988Brian MulroneyJohn Turner
1993Jean ChrétienKim Campbell
1997Jean ChrétienPreston Manning
2000Jean ChrétienStockwell Day
2004Paul Martin, Jr.Stephen Harper