These Christians and Sikhs say faith will guide their vote in this federal election

Isidore Agokei and his 3 children went to wide aboriginal connected Palm Sunday, the commencement of the Easter week. He says Easter reminds him of salvation and hope, and those themes usher him arsenic helium considers his vote. 

This year, the national predetermination falls astir 1 week aft 1 of the biggest holidays connected the Christian calendar.

So arsenic portion of CBC's effort to recognize what matters to communities crossed Canada this campaign, we decided to sojourn respective communities of faith. 

• What contented matters the astir to you this national election, and why? Share your idiosyncratic stories with america at [email protected].

Agokei was astatine St. Thomas More Catholic Church successful northeast Calgary. He's a fiscal advisor successful the security manufacture who moved from Nigeria 3 years ago. 

"My religion guides maine due to the fact that I volition beryllium listening to what campaigner resonates with these characteristics I've spoken astir — hope, renewal and strength, and of moving toward a much agreed and strengthened Canada," helium said, lasting successful the sunshine arsenic worshippers near mass. 

He said he's heard a batch of promises truthful far, which makes him skeptical. But he's leaning toward voting Conservative.

"In the tone of renewal and hope, I deliberation going successful a antithetic direction, possibly a way toward renewal."

In the 2021 census from Statistics Canada, astir 60 per cent of Albertans identified themselves arsenic being religious. Christianity was the astir communal religion, followed by Islam and Sikhism. Since past Sunday was some Palm Sunday and Vaisakhi, we visited 2 churches and a gurdwara.

At the Catholic church, the cardinal predetermination issues were affordability, the integrity of the enactment leaders and their attack to Canada's narration with the United States, and the consciousness of hope.

Among the six radical we spoke with, voting intentions were mixed betwixt Liberals and Conservatives. Those voting Liberal said it was due to the fact that of Leader Mark Carney's quality and attack to the United States.

The issues were antithetic astatine the Pentecostal church. Southside Victory Church is adjacent the Chinook transit centre.

Pastor Craig Buroker described it arsenic a religion that believes successful a literal mentation of the Bible — that Christ died connected Good Friday and came to beingness again connected Easter, which is what allows radical to person their sins forgiven and find caller life. 

The issues worshippers talked astir astatine the Victory Church were abortion, a accepted mentation of sex identity, supporting Israel, reducing transgression done stiffer sentences, and restricting MAID successful cases wherever intelligence wellness is the concern. 

Bona Cortez was walking into religion with her children. She said her religion is important to her due to the fact that it gives her a consciousness of guidance.

"For me, I cognize that for everything I bash and my decisions that I make, that Jesus volition beryllium helping maine successful those decisions.… I consciousness similar I'm ne'er alone," she said. 

And arsenic for however her religion guides her arsenic a voter, she said, "I'm looking for policies that enactment my beliefs. So immoderate of those things would beryllium my views connected pro-life, my views connected individuality and besides adjacent Israel — the policies supporting that."

"I conscionable privation to enactment the presumption of, conscionable for maine — 2 genders, antheral and female," she said. And past added, "I'm wide who I'm going to ballot for. I'm going to beryllium voting Conservative."

Mark Forrest was the worshipper who identified aesculapian assistance successful dying (MAID) arsenic the cardinal contented shaping his vote.

"It's a large contented successful Canada. We're the highest successful the world, and it's really unspeakable however precocious it is and however escaped it's gonna beryllium for radical to perpetrate suicide," helium said. "I've had depression, different radical person had depression; they got implicit it and they're doing life. I'd similar to spot an extremity to that."

"The Liberals brought that in, truthful I decidedly won't beryllium voting for them. I volition beryllium voting Conservative."

Canada is 2nd to the Netherlands erstwhile it comes to the percent of radical present choosing MAID, but it has the highest total of deaths per year. The national authorities delayed until 2027 authorities that would person allowed MAID successful cases wherever the lone underlying aesculapian information is simply a intelligence illness. 

Janet Brown is simply a pollster who focuses connected Alberta. She said it's hard to inquire astir religion successful nationalist surveys due to the fact that radical consciousness it's excessively idiosyncratic a question. But she has been capable to inquire radical astir the value of religion successful their lives.

She said those who are much spiritual thin toward voting much conservative. Often the blimpish parties correspond themselves arsenic lasting for household values and much accepted views connected gender.

Also, religion is conscionable 1 portion of a person's identity. Their enactment and ethnocultural oregon different communities tin besides signifier their vote. 

"Having a steadfast affinity to religion, it cuts crossed antithetic spiritual groups," Brown said. "We've seen precocious successful Alberta, it's conscionable benignant of a fearfulness that aged fashioned values are eroding that radical are disquieted about, astir the spot of families and supporting household values."

But not each Christians are conservative. Brian Dijkema is president astatine the Christian deliberation vessel Cardus. He said you'll find differences successful voting patterns adjacent betwixt churches of the aforesaid tradition, and arsenic for the presumption that astir Christians thin right, that hasn't been the lawsuit historically, helium said.

"The New Democrats utilized to trust heavy upon spiritual voters, what you would telephone mainline [church] voters, Anglican, Presbyterian Church of Canada, United Church," helium said. "Those churches are largely, they're not gone, but demographically they're facing … a demographic cliff. As radical dice off, there's nary 1 coming into them."

That's 1 crushed wherefore NDP enactment has been shrinking, helium suggested. 

The different important alteration among Alberta's religion communities is the maturation successful different religions. In 2021, radical identifying arsenic Muslim made up 4.8 per cent of Alberta, up from 3.2 per cent 10 years before.

Sikhs present marque up 2.5 per cent of Alberta's population.

The Dashmesh Culture Centre successful Calgary's Martindale neighbourhood expected 60,000 radical to travel for Vaisakhi, which celebrates erstwhile Khalsa was created arsenic a mode for Sikhs to perpetrate themselves to societal justness and equality.

In Calgary's northeast, galore of the candidates are Sikh — 3 for the Conservatives, 1 for the Liberals and 1 for the New Democrats.

That's partially due to the fact that the Sikh religion encourages radical to get progressive with politics, said Gurjit Singh Sidhu, president of the centre.

"They thatch america that each Sikh idiosyncratic has to enactment successful authorities careless of if you are moving oregon not. You person to get the cognition of politics," helium said. "You person to beryllium precise watchful, vigilant to what's happening astir you." 

When asked, voters were divided connected which enactment they volition ballot for.

Baljit Singh Pandher said he's been surviving successful Calgary for 10 years and ever votes Liberal.

"It is abstracted from my faith. It is my governmental decision," helium said. 

"Justin Trudeau, helium did a batch connected immigration. Although immoderate systems [have been] disturbed, wide helium did truthful overmuch for the immigrants and for the tiny businessmen and for our community. He stood firmly with us. That's wherefore I privation to ballot Liberal."

Standing adjacent successful the nutrient line, Jaskaran Brar said helium is voting for the archetypal time. He's 18 and is uncovering it pugnacious to marque up his mind.

"Consensus gathering is truly important successful our religion, besides reconciling. First of all, we request to reconcile with the Indigenous radical due to the fact that this is their onshore essentially," helium said.

That's what his religion tells him, and arsenic for casting a vote, "it's a batch of worldly going connected successful the satellite with tariffs and everything. But I consciousness similar we request a beardown premier curate that tin articulation Canadians together, right?

"I was looking toward the Conservative broadside due to the fact that I was saying possibly a caller authorities tin bring america hope."