Robert Edward McAlister (1880 – 25 September 1953) was a Canadian pastor and evangelist who was one of the founding members of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.
[5] In response of McAlister’s sermon, Frank Ewart wrote, “the shot has been fired, and its sound was destined to be heard around the world, as Christendom would soon be shaken by this new doctrine.
"[6] In 1914, a year after McAlister gave his sermon over baptism, Frank Ewart and Glenn Cook baptized each other in the name of Jesus, starting the Oneness movement.
However, in 1919, Aimee Semple McPherson preached a series in Ontario rejecting the Oneness movement and asking smaller organizations to join the Assemblies of God.
McAlister was influential in the formation of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, a governing body of churches that place a high emphasis on Spirit baptism and Trinitarian theology.