Andrew P.W. Bennett

The Rev Dr. Andrew Bennett is a Senior Fellow at Cardus, leading our Simeon Initiative.

A champion of religious freedom and public Christian faith domestically and internationally, Father Deacon Andrew served as Canada’s first Ambassador for Religious Freedom and led Global Affairs Canada’s Office of Religious Freedom from 2013 to 2016. He simultaneously served as Canada’s Head of Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

From 2016-2026, Father Deacon Andrew held various research and public-facing roles at Cardus, including founding Director of the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute, Programme Director of the Faith Communities research programme, and finally Director of Faith Community Engagement. In 2021, Cardus launched the Communio network for young Christian professionals under his leadership. In 2024, he founded the Simeon Initiative which brings together Jewish and Christian leaders in an authentic encounter to combat antisemitism in Canada.

In late April 2026, Fr. Dcn. Andrew assumed the role of Executive Director at Calgary’s Clear Water Academy, a leading Catholic independent school in western Canada. He holds the position of Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, DC.

He is an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church and serves at a Calgary parish.

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Andrew P.W. Bennett

Andrew P.W. Bennett

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