Presenting Our Partners: The Baha'i Community of Canada

Founded in 1844, the Bahá’í faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions. It has been present in Canada since 1898—and is based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh—highlighting the oneness of humanity, the oneness of God and the oneness of all religions.

It wasn’t until 1902 that an official community was established by May and William Sutherland Maxwell, who brought their faith from Paris, France.

As of 2015, there were an estimated 30 000 Baha’is in Canada living in over 1200 communities. Approximately 18% of the Bahá’ís are Inuit or First Nations, and 30% of the population are immigrants to Canada, according to recent research.

 “The dedication of [the] early group under the remarkable care and support of May Maxwell became the driving force for the establishment of the Canadian Bahá’í community,” reports their official website.

“The Bahá’ís of Montréal had the honour of hosting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Son and appointed successor of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Faith, during His 1912 tour of North America. His visit to Canada provided an impetus to the spread of the Faith in communities throughout the country,” they continue.

The Bahá’ís of Canada regularly host community-building activities which are open to all. These include meetings where they practice devotional reflections and collective worship. There are also children’s classes taking place in many regions across Canada, service groups, and study circles which seek to apply Baha’i teachings to public life.

The Bahá’í Community’s website describes the impetus behind their community-strengthening initiatives:

The process of community-building initiated by Bahá’ís in neighbourhoods and towns across Canada aims to raise individual and collective capacity to take charge of a community’s spiritual, social and intellectual development.

For more information on the Bahá’í faith, or for news on community activities, feel free to contact the community or be in touch with Gerald Filson, the Director of Public Affairs.