The official news agency KCNA reported that the Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim "confessed to all heinous crimes he had committed."
The report accused Lim of having "committed anti-DPRK religious activities, conducted false propaganda among overseas Koreans, and took active part in the operation of the U.S. and (a South Korean) conservative group to lure and abduct DPRK citizens ... in their programs for 'aiding defectors from the north.' "
North Korea already had detained him for 10 months.
Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs expressed dismay at what it called "the unduly harsh sentence given to Mr. Lim by a North Korean court, particularly given his age and fragile health."
Lim's trial was the first time Canadian officials had seen the 60-year-old since he was taken into custody in February, the department said in a statement.
It said the North Korean government's refusal to let Canadian representatives "verify his health and well-being" in person represents "a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the right of states to have consular access to their citizens."
Looking for diplomatic assistance
The Canadian government said it wants Lim's rights to be respected and for him to return home.
It declined to offer any more information "in the interest of Mr. Lim's case."
Family spokeswoman Lisa Pak said the sentencing was "shocking and exhausting for the family," and it asked North Korea to relent.
"We entreat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to remember Reverend Lim's heart for the people of the DPRK. The family and the church hope for a demonstration of mercy and compassion. Finally, we ask the global community for your continued support in prayers," Pak said.
The sentencing allows diplomats to take further action, Pak said.
"Despite the severity (of the sentence), we do have hope because it means that the possibility of diplomatic talks for his release can move forward rather than just stay in limbo," Pak said.
"We're still asking people not to give up. We're asking people to keep praying and we're asking the government not give up," added Pak, who's a leader at Lim's church.
Family: Lim went to North Korea on aid trip
A Canadian citizen who emigrated from South Korea in 1986, Lim is a minister at the 3,000-member Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto. He has spent a lot of time in North Korea, taking more than 100 trips there, according to his family.
Lim's most recent visit came January 30 when he traveled there via China on what a family spokeswoman characterized as a routine humanitarian trip.
He planned to tend to aid projects established by his church in the northeastern city of Rajin, North Korea, including an orphanage, nursery and nursing home.
"It is this tremendous love for the people of the DPRK that motivated Mr. Lim to travel (there)," Pak said.