A religious test · Canada · 1807–1832
A Jewish representative’s election exposed the gap between local support and legal admission.
Explore CanadaPublished by WTJPublication updated
1807–1832
A religious test · The voters choose Hart; the assembly refuses him
A Jewish representative’s election exposed the gap between local support and legal admission.
Ezekiel Hart wins election
Ezekiel Hart was elected to Lower Canada’s assembly in 1807 but prevented from taking his seat because he was Jewish. Neighbours had chosen their representative; officials applied a religious barrier. The story concerns colonial Lower Canada, before the formation of the modern Canadian federation.
Faith overrides the voters’ decision
The exclusion made religious identity a condition of political participation. Hart’s election could not by itself overcome the institution’s rules and interpretation of the oath. Antisemitism here worked through the authority to decide whose representation was legitimate, rather than through a street attack.
The law changes in 1832
In 1832, Lower Canada recognized people professing Judaism as entitled to the rights and privileges of other British subjects in the province. The change dismantled a religious disability. It did not create universal modern suffrage or guarantee that social prejudice had disappeared.