A minister of state is a junior cabinet minister in the

Cabinet of Canada The Canadian Ministry (Canadian French, French: ''Conseil des ministres''), colloquially referred to as the Cabinet of Canada (), is a body of Minister of the Crown, ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the t ...

, 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 In constitutional usage in Commonwealth realms, a ministry (usually preceded by the definite article, i.e., the ministry) is a collective body of government minister (government), ministers led by a head of government, such as a prime minister. ...

and the

King's Privy Council for Canada The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on State (polity), state and constitutional affair ...

. A secretary of state is legally a minister of state styled as secretaries. However, secretaries of state are considered junior to ministers of state and are not members of Cabinet.

History

The title "Minister of State" was created during the government of

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

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 Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

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 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 authorit ...

. Ministers of State are also members of the

, as is required for them to be a part of the ministry. During the government of

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

, 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 A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

government house leader The Government House Leader, officially known as the leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada (), is the Cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the House of Commons of ...

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 Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

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 Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

. When

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

became Prime Minister on February 6, 2006, he did not include any ministers of state in his cabinet.

Derek Burney Derek Hudson Burney (born 1 November 1939) for a time served as Canada's ambassador to the US, and was political strategist for both the government of Brian Mulroney and of Stephen Harper. He was for a time an executive or director in private i ...

, 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. 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". 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 Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

, formed and updated several ministries including the formation of

Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities The minister of Sport is a Government of Canada cabinet minister responsible for Sport Canada (and sports in Canada, more generally), who typically assists the minister of Canadian Heritage. The specific name of the ministerial designation has c ...

from the previous junior position

Minister of State (Sport) The minister of Sport is a Government of Canada cabinet minister responsible for Sport Canada (and sports in Canada, more generally), who typically assists the minister of Canadian Heritage. The specific name of the ministerial designation has c ...

. In the

29th Canadian Ministry The Twenty-Ninth Canadian Ministry was the Cabinet of Canada, Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that began governing Canada shortly before the opening of the 42nd Parliament of Canada, 42nd Parliament. ...

, there were no ministers of state.

Ministers of State

Agriculture

The Minister of State (Agriculture) () was a junior minister in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for the

Rural Secretariat The Rural Secretariat was a focal point for the Government of Canada to work in partnership with Canadians in rural and remote areas to build strong, dynamic communities. It was dismantled by the Conservative government in 2013. Located in Agri ...

and the

Cooperatives Secretariat The Co-operatives Secretariat was established within the Government of Canada in 1987 to help the federal government respond more effectively to the concerns and needs of co-operatives. The Secretariat advises the government on policies affecting ...

, reporting to the

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. As of , the position has not been a part of the Cabinet of Justin Trudeau.

Children and Youth

Minister of State (Children and Youth) was a

portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...

created in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

by Prime Minister

to assist with the Minister of Human Resources Development.Minister of State (Children and Youth) Website
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Ethel Blondin-Andrew Ethel Dorothy Blondin-Andrew (born 25 March 1951) is a Canadian politician, educator, and public servant. She became the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Parliament of Canada in 1988 when she became a member of Parliament for the ...

was the first and only holder of this position, which lasted from 12 December 2003 until 19 July 2004.

Public Health

The Minister of State (Public Health) was a position in the government of

that lasted from 12 December 2003 to 5 February 2006.

Carolyn Bennett Carolyn Ann Bennett (born December 20, 1950) is a Canadian ambassador and retired politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she represented Toronto—St. Paul's in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2024, and was a cabinet minister in the go ...

was the first and only appointment to this position. As minister, Bennett was responsible for setting up the

Public Health Agency of Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; ) 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. History The PHAC was f ...

. On 17 May 2004, Bennett announced a new position she called

Chief Public Health Officer The chief public health officer of Canada (CPHO; ) is the lead health professional and primary spokesperson on public health related matters for the Government of Canada. The chief public health officer provides advice to the minister of health a ...

(CPHO), and that "the CPHO will be primarily located in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, with offices in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, 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. On 23 October 2004 with the advice of a blue-ribbon council, Bennett appointed

David Butler-Jones David Butler-Jones is a Canadian physician and public servant who served as the first chief public health officer of Canada from the position's formation in October 2004 until stepping down in June 2013. Biography & career Butler-Jones was ...

as Canada's first CPHO. Upon coming to office in 2006,

abolished the position.

Urban Affairs

Science and Technology

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

References

{{Cabinet of Canada