[3] While Montreal was the largest Canadian city and the centre of commerce in the country, the diocese thrived.

In recent decades, however, as these attributes have shifted to Toronto, the English-Canadian population in the diocese has shrunk dramatically, forcing the merger and the closure of parishes.

The diocese's original membership of 25,000 150 years ago has shrunk by over one-third, even as the total population in the civil region has expanded from about 70,000 to over 3,000,000[4]—a 9000% decrease in its proportional importance.

The diocese's decline thus far exceeds Montreal's relative loss of prestige to Toronto.

[2] Today, like the Anglican Church of Canada generally, liberal theology dominates, with the bishop approving a form for blessings for same-sex unions in 2010.