Home

Dioceses in the Province of Canada

Canons of the Province of Canada

• Acts of the Legislatures
• Letters Patent
• Declaration of Principles
• Statement of Purpose
• Constitution
• Rules of Order
• Canon 1
• Canon 2
• Protocol for electronic election
• Canon 3
• Canon 4
• Canon 5
• Canon 6

Webmaster Team

The Anglican Church of Canada	L’Église Anglicane du Canada
The Province of Canada Declaration of Principles

We, the Bishops of the United Church of England and Ireland within the Province of Canada, together with the Delegates from the Clergy and Laity of the Diocesan Synods, now assembled in the First Provincial Synod under Royal and constitutional authority, and intending, under God's blessing and guidance, to consider and determine upon such matters as shall appear necessary for the welfare of the Church in this Province, desire to express our most humble and hearty thanks to Almighty God, that it has pleased Him in His Providence to set over us a Metropolitan, and thus enable us, as in the ancient days, to assemble as one body, under the direction of His Holy Spirit, whose aid we now invoke, and in the name of His only begotten Son, for the consolidation and advancement of His Kingdom in this Province.

Before entering on the business for which we are at present assembled, we desire publicly to declare the principles upon which we propose to proceed.

We desire The Church in this Province to continue, as it has been, an integral portion of the United Church of England and Ireland.

As members of that Church, we recognize the true Canon of Holy Scriptures as set forth by that Church, on the testimony of the Primitive Catholic Church, to be the rule and standard of Faith; we acknowledge the Book of Common Prayer and Sacraments, together with the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, to be a true and faithful declaration of the doctrines contained in Holy Scripture; we maintain the Form of Church government by Bishops, Priests and Deacons as Scriptural and Apostolical; and we declare our firm and unanimous resolution, in dependence on Divine aid, to preserve those doctrines and that form of government, and to transmit them to our posterity.

In particular, we maintain the ancient doctrine of our Church, that the Queen is rightfully possessed of the chief government and supremacy over all persons within her dominions, whether ecclesiastical or civil, as set forth in the 37th of the Articles of Religion; and we desire that such supremacy should continue unimpaired.

It is our earnest desire and determination to confine our deliberations to matters of discipline, to the temporalities of the Church, and to such regulations of order, or modes of operation as may tend to her efficiency or extension; and we desire no control or authority over any but those who are or shall be members of the same Church.

We conceive that the following, or such like objects, may fitly come under our consideration, and lead to action on our part:

1. To form a Constitution for this Synod, and to regulate the time and place of the meetings, and the order and manner of its proceedings.

2. To provide for the proper exercise of Ecclesiastical Discipline, in regard to both Clergy and Laity, by modifying and enacting Canons, and by establishing and ordering a Court of Appeal.

3. To provide, with consent of the Crown (when needed), fit regulations for the appointment of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in accordance with the Canons of the Universal Church.

4. To provide, with the consent of the Crown, for the division of the Province into new Dioceses, as occasion may require.

5. To procure from the Colonial Legislature any Laws or modifications of laws which the circumstances of the Church may require.

6. To promote the further consolidation and united action of the whole of the Dioceses of British North America.

Proceeding upon these principles, which, as we humbly thank God, were, under His good guidance, first among the Colonial Churches, publicly set forth amongst ourselves, and have been sustained by the acceptance of our brethren through a large part of the Colonial Dominions of our beloved Queen, we firmly rely and depend upon His continued blessing and guidance; and we humbly pray that He, who is the God of unity and peace, may ever be with us, and so chasten our affections, purify our motives, and guide our judgment, that we may be enabled to contribute to the efficiency, concord and stability of the Church in this land.

The names of those who have held the office of the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada through the years are listed on the Metropolitical Staff as follows:

Note: this text is provided for information purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure that this text is accurate, in the event of any discrepancy between this version and the official printed version, the latter shall prevail.