This research compares the politics of conservative Christians in Canada and Australia, asking to what extent each country has an active and influential “religious right” and the role of political institutions and social configurations in shaping activism and influence in each country.  An underlying and often problematic question, however, is defining what actually constitutes the religious right, especially across national and social contexts and outside the most vivid case of the United States.  While unified on sexuality and reproductive issues, conservative Christians are more heterogenous on other issues with varying approaches to political activism.  This makes their profile and influence difficult to assess.

In general, while political science pays increasing attention to the intersection of politics and religion, it has struggled to develop positive and empirical approaches - as opposed to normative ones - for understanding the role of conservative Christians in domestic politics.  A comparative approach between Canada and Australia allows us to see more clearly how activism in each country is shaped both by institutional rules and distinctive social contexts.

Jonathan Malloy is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Carleton University. His teaching and research interests focus on Canadian political institutions, Ontario politics, and religion and politics. His research on Parliament has focused particularly on parliamentary committees, including work for the Gomery Commission, and he served as president of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group from 2009-13. His research on religion and politics focuses particularly on the politics of evangelical Christians in Canada.