Minister of state (Canada)

Last updated

A minister of state is a junior cabinet minister in the Cabinet of Canada, usually given specific responsibilities to assist a senior cabinet minister in a specific area. A secretary of state also holds many similar responsibilities in assisting senior cabinet members, being members of the Ministry and the King's Privy Council for Canada. A secretary of state is legally a minister of state styled as secretaries.[ citation needed ] However, secretaries of state are considered junior to ministers of state and are not members of Cabinet.

Contents

History

The title "Minister of State" was created during the government of Pierre Trudeau in 1971 under the Ministries and Ministers of State Act. This act allows for the creation of two different types of ministers of state. Sections 2 through 10 allow for the creation of a ministry of state, which is a temporary government department established by separating parts of departments created by law. A minister of state can be the head of such a ministry. Sections 11 and 12 of the act allow for the creation of a minister of state who "may be assigned by the Governor in Council to assist any minister or ministers having responsibilities for any department or other portion of the public service of Canada in the carrying out of those responsibilities". The latter has become far more common and, by and large, the former has fallen into disuse.

Under Brian Mulroney and his successors, the title of Minister of State without any responsibilities attached has been used to appoint what had previously been called ministers without portfolio. Ministers of State are also members of the King's Privy Council for Canada, as is required for them to be a part of the ministry.

During the government of Jean Chrétien, assistants to senior cabinet ministers were often styled as secretary of state, considered junior to ministers of state, and were not members of Cabinet. Under Chrétien, the title "minister of state", with a specific policy responsibility, was usually given to either a Cabinet minister, in addition to his or her other responsibilities, or to the deputy prime minister, government house leader or leader of the government in the Senate. Chrétien also had parliamentary secretaries, ranking below secretaries of state, who were set to two-year terms and the post was used as a reward for weary backbenchers. Their duty was to answer questions and table reports on behalf of ministers when they were unable to be present in the house.

Paul Martin eliminated the position of secretary of state and reverted to using the title "minister of state" for junior cabinet ministers. The day he took office, Martin realigned various government departments. However, this can be done by changing the law only so, in reality, he set up various ministries of state headed by ministers of state. All such ministries of state and their ministers were styled as proper ministers of permanent departments. Over the course of his government, most of these departments were created in law and the ministers of state became ministers of the new departments as their empowering legislation received royal assent.

When Stephen Harper became Prime Minister on February 6, 2006, he did not include any ministers of state in his cabinet. Derek Burney, the head of Harper's transition team, noted to the press that this was intentional: ministers of state and the role of Deputy Prime Minister were omitted to create a cabinet of full equals. [1] In actuality, Harper did appoint a number of ministers of state in order to give certain ministers responsibilities outside of their portfolios; however, all of these ministers of state were also full Cabinet ministers and their formal titles were styled so as to omit "of state". [2] On January 4, 2007, Harper added five secretaries of state to his ministry thus reviving the practice of appointing junior ministers outside of the Cabinet. On October 30, 2008, Harper added 11 ministers of state to his Cabinet. On January 4, 2011, Harper added one minister of state to his Cabinet to a total of 12. In 2015, the 29th cabinet led by Justin Trudeau, formed and updated several ministries including the formation of Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities from the previous junior position Minister of State (Sport). [3]

Ministers of State

Agriculture

The Minister of State (Agriculture) (French : Ministre d'État (Agriculture)) was a junior minister in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for the Rural Secretariat and the Cooperatives Secretariat, reporting to the Minister of Agriculture. As of January 2016, the position has not been a part of the Cabinet of Justin Trudeau.

Name [4] Took officeLeft officeParty
Pierre Blais August 27, 1987June 24, 1993 Progressive Conservative Party
Christian Paradis January 4, 2007June 24, 2008 Conservative Party of Canada
Jean-Pierre Blackburn October 30, 2008May 17, 2011
Christian ParadisMay 18, 2011July 14, 2013
Maxime Bernier

as Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism and Agriculture)

July 15, 2013November 3, 2015

Children and Youth

Minister of State (Children and Youth) was a Cabinet of Canada portfolio created in 2003 by Prime Minister Paul Martin to assist with the Minister of Human Resources Development. [5]

Ethel Blondin-Andrew was the first and only holder of this position, which lasted from 12 December 2003 until 19 July 2004. [4]

Public Health

The Minister of State (Public Health) was a position in the government of Paul Martin that lasted from 12 December 2003 to 5 February 2006. [6]

Carolyn Bennett was the first and only appointment to this position. [7] As minister, Bennett was responsible for setting up the Public Health Agency of Canada. [7] [8] [9]

On 17 May 2004, Bennett announced a new position she called Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO), and that "the CPHO will be primarily located in Winnipeg, with offices in Ottawa, and will have responsibilities for the three key functions of the Agency: infectious diseases, emergency preparedness and chronic diseases." At the time, she appointed an Acting CPHO. [10]

On 23 October 2004 with the advice of a blue-ribbon council, Bennett appointed David Butler-Jones as Canada's first CPHO. [8]

Upon coming to office in 2006, Stephen Harper abolished the position. [11]

Urban Affairs

Name [4] Took officeLeft officeParty
Bob Andras June 30, 1971January 27, 1972 Liberal
Ron Basford January 28, 1972August 7, 1974
Barney Danson August 8, 1974November 2, 1976
André Ouellet November 3, 1976March 31, 1979

Science and Technology

The Minister of State for Science and Technology assisted the Minister of Science and Technology.

Name [4] Took officeLeft officeParty
Alastair Gillespie August 8, 1971November 26, 1972 Liberal
Jeanne Sauvé November 27, 1972August 7, 1974
Charles Drury 1974September 14, 1976
Judd Buchanan September 16, 1977November 23, 1978
Alastair Gillespie November 24, 1978June 3, 1979
Tom Siddon September 17, 1984November 19, 1985 Progressive Conservative
Frank Oberle November 20, 1985January 29, 1989
Michel Côté August 11, 1987August 26, 1987
Robert de Cotret August 27, 1987January 29, 1989
William Winegard January 30, 1989February 22, 1990
Harvie Andre January 30, 1989February 22, 1990

See also

Related Research Articles

Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior ministers. In the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries, "minister of state" is a junior rank subordinate to ministers of higher rank. In Brazil and Japan, all ministers of cabinet rank hold the title, while in Australia "minister of state" is the designation applied to all government ministers regardless of rank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deputy Prime Minister of Canada</span> Canadian cabinet portfolio

The deputy prime minister of Canada is a minister of the Crown and a member of the Canadian Cabinet. The office is conferred at the discretion of the prime minister and does not have an associated departmental portfolio. Canadian deputy prime ministers are appointed to the Privy Council and styled as the Honourable, a privilege maintained for life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Canada</span> Canadian body of ministers of the Crown

The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the Cabinet is a committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada and the senior echelon of the Ministry, the membership of the Cabinet and Ministry often being co-terminal; as of November 2015 there were no members of the latter who were not also members of the former.

The minister of Science is a vacant office that was in the Cabinet of Canada and existed under various forms from 1971 to 2019, when the portfolio's responsibilities were absorbed into the innovation, science and industry portfolio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Canadian Heritage</span>

The minister of Canadian heritage is the minister of the Crown who heads Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for culture, media, sports, and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne McLellan</span> Canadian academic and politician

A. Anne McLellan is a Canadian politician and academic who served as the ninth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006. She was a cabinet minister in the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, and represented Edmonton in the House of Commons of Canada. She also held the positions of solicitor general, minister of health, and minister of justice of Canada.

A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authority wherein ministers without portfolio, while they may not head any particular offices or ministries, may still receive a ministerial salary and have the right to cast a vote in cabinet decisions. The office may also exist to give party leaders whose offices would not otherwise enable them to sit in Cabinet.

A parliamentary secretary is a member of parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with their duties. In several countries, the position has been re-designated as assistant minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associate Minister of National Defence</span>

The associate minister of national defence is a member of the Canadian cabinet who is responsible for various files within the defence department as assigned by the prime minister or defence minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada</span> Canadian Cabinet minister; main legal advisor to the government

The minister of justice and attorney general of Canada is a dual-role portfolio in the Canadian Cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of International Trade Diversification</span> Canadian federal Cabinet position

The Minister for International Trade is the formal title provided by legislation for the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for the federal government's international trade portfolio. From February 2006 to July 2017, the minister was styled as "Minister of International Trade", and from July 2017, the title for business use change numerous time. The minister, Mary Ng, has been styled Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development since July 26, 2023

In Canada from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2008, secretary of state was a title given to junior ministers of state in the Government of Canada that sat outside Cabinet. Because it was a position that was assigned to assist Cabinet ministers, a secretary of state was legally a minister of state; the distinction is that, unlike a minister, a secretary is not a full cabinet portfolio itself and thus not considered a member of Cabinet. (They were hence considered junior to ministers of state.) The Secretary of State (Training and Youth), for instance, would assist the Minister for Human Resources and Development. This usage is opposite to that in the United Kingdom, where junior ministers generally report to more senior secretaries of state. Secretaries of state were, however, members of the ministry and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

The title Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec was accorded to full members of the Cabinet of Canada from the Campbell Ministry through the first months of Paul Martin government. Prior to the agency's renaming in 1998, the position was termed Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development – Quebec.

Deputy minister is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. A deputy minister is positioned in some way ‘under’ a minister, who is a full member of Cabinet, in charge of a particular standing policy portfolio, and typically oversees an associated civil service department. Depending on the jurisdiction, a "Deputy minister" may be a Cabinet minister who regularly acts as and for a more senior cabinet minister, a junior minister assigned to assist a cabinet minister, an elected member of the governing party or coalition assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister ‘from the back benches’ or a non-elected head of a civil service department taking political direction from a Cabinet minister.

The Minister of Democratic Institutions was a Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet, associated with the Privy Council Office. The position was first created in 2003 as "Minister responsible for Democratic Reform". It was also titled "Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal" and "Minister of State " during various governments. The position was abolished on November 20, 2019.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)</span> Central agency of the Canadian government

The Office of the Prime Minister comprises the political staff which support the prime minister of Canada. Located in the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council Building in Ottawa, Ontario. The PMO provides policy advice, information gathering, communications, planning, and strategizing. It should not be confused with the Privy Council Office (PCO) – a department of the Government of Canada and part of the Public Service, which is expressly non-partisan. The PMO is concerned with making policy, whereas the PCO is concerned with executing the policy decisions.

The title secretary of state or state's secretary is commonly used for senior or mid-level posts in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple secretaries of state in the country's system of governing the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet Secretary (Australian minister)</span> Australian cabinet position

Cabinet Secretary is a ministerial portfolio within the Australian federal government. It has existed in three periods, from 2007 to 2013, from 2015 to 2017, and since 2022. The minister is responsible for assisting the Prime Minister of Australia in managing the day-to-day procedural and operational matters of the Cabinet and any Cabinet committees. The Cabinet Secretary's portfolio falls within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Sport and Physical Activity</span> Federal cabinet position

The minister of Sport and Physical Activity is a Government of Canada cabinet minister responsible for Sport Canada, who typically assists the minister of Canadian Heritage.

References

  1. Fraser, Graham (February 7, 2006). "Cabinet ranks reduced to 27; Shakeup aims to cut process, costs Harper to chair key committee". Toronto Star via Maclean's.
  2. "Appointments" (PDF). Canada Gazette, Part I. 140 (8). Ottawa: 391–395. February 25, 2006. ISSN   1494-6076.
  3. Bucholtz, Andrew. "Can new minister for sport Carla Qualtrough use her experience to create change?". Yahoo! News . Yahoo! Canada. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Departments and Roles: 1867 - Today". lop.parl.ca. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  5. Minister of State (Children and Youth) Website
  6. Ries, Nola M.; Caulfield, Timothy (2005). "Legal Foundations for a National Public Health Agency in Canada". Canadian Journal of Public Health. 96 (4): 281–283. doi:10.1007/BF03405164. PMC   6975730 . PMID   16625796.
  7. 1 2 Bennett, C. (2004). "Building a national public health system". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 170 (9): 1425–1426. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1040580. PMC   395818 . PMID   15111478.
  8. 1 2 "Federal government hasn't filled top doctor's job, 15 months later". Ottawa Citizen. 19 September 2014.
  9. Raphael, Dennis; Bryant, Toba (2006). "The state's role in promoting population health: Public health concerns in Canada, USA, UK, and Sweden". Health Policy. 78 (1): 39–55. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2005.09.002. PMID   16223545.
  10. "GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF NEW PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY OF CANADA AND APPOINTS ACTING CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER". Government of Canada. 2004-05-17. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  11. Bernier, N. F.; Burlone, N. (2007). "Breaking the deadlock: Public health policy coordination as the next step". Healthcare Policy. 3 (2): e117-27. PMC   2645169 . PMID   19305772.