The minister of natural resources () is the

minister of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...

in the

Canadian Cabinet The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du 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 ...

who is responsible for

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the dep ...

(NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resources portfolio, which includes

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the 1950s, and in October 2011 licensed this ...

, the Canada Energy Regulator, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, as well as the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Boards. The Energy Supplies Allocation Board and the Northern Pipeline Agency also report to the Minister as required. The current minister of natural resources is

Jonathan Wilkinson Jonathan Wilkinson (born June 11, 1965) is a Canadian politician who has served as the minister of natural resources since 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Wilkinson was elected as the member of Parliament (MP) for North Vancouver in 2015 ...

, since October 26, 2021. This position was established in 1995 under the ''Department of Natural Resources Act'', S.C. 1994, c. 41, which merged the positions of the minister of energy, mines and resources and minister of forestry.''Department of Natural Resources Act'', S.C. 1994, c. 41

History

Prior to 1995, the responsibilities of the current natural resources portfolio were divided between the minister of energy, mines and resources and the minister of forestry, both posts which are now defunct. With the transfer of the

Canadian Forest Service The Canadian Forest Service (CFS; french: Service canadien des forêts) is a sector of the Canadian government department of Natural Resources Canada. Part of the federal government since 1899, the CFS is a science-based policy organization responsi ...

from the Department of Forestry to the Department of Agriculture, the forestry portfolio came under the minister of agriculture between 1984 and 1985, then back to the minister of the environment from 1985. It became a single department in 1989 and then designated to the minister of energy, mines and resources in 1990. In 1994, the ''Department of Natural Resources Act'', S.C. 1994, c. 41, provided for the creation of the minister of natural resources, with authority to carry out matters previously undertaken by the minister of forestry and the minister of energy, mines and resources.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources

The minister of energy, mines, and resources () was a member of the Cabinet from 1966 to 1995. Prior to 1966, the responsibility related to Canadian mines and natural resources resided in various ministers: *

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

(1873–1936) * Minister of Mines (1907–36) *

Minister of Mines and Resources The position of Minister of Mines and Resources was a cabinet portfolio in Canada from 1936 to 1950. The mines portfolio had previously been that of the Minister of Mines, which was a portfolio adjunct to other ministries such as Inland Revenue ...

(1936–50) * Minister of Resources and Development (1950–53) *

Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys The Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys was a position in the Canadian Cabinet from 1950 to 1966. The former offices of Minister of Mines and Resources and Minister of Reconstruction and Supply were abolished by Statute 13 Geo. VI, c. 18, and ...

(1950–66) * Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources (1953–62) The emerging role of

energy development Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reuse ...

in federal policy would become more prominent in 1966, when that responsibility was adopted by the natural resources portfolio, whereupon the minister of mines and technical surveys was abolished and the minister of energy, mines and resources was established in its place by Statute 14-15 Eliz. II, c. 25—which received royal assent on 16 June 1966 and proclaimed in-force on October 1 later that year. Three decades later, in 1995, the energy, mines and resources portfolio merged with that of forestry to form the current minister of natural resources, under the ''Department of Natural Resources Act'', S.C. 1994, c. 41—which received royal assent on December 15, 1994.

Minister of Forestry

The minister of forestry was an office in the Cabinet from 1962 to 1966 and again from 1990 to 1995. Between 1966 and 1990, it was known as the minister of forestry and rural development. Prior to 1962, the responsibility for forestry resided in various ministers: *

(1873–1936) *

(1936–50) * Minister of Resources and Development (1950–53) * Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources (1953–62) The position of minister of forestry was first created in 1962 by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and lasted into the government of Lester B. Pearson. In 1971, responsibility for forestry along with fisheries merged into the minister of the environment, briefly renamed as minister of fisheries and the environment from 1976–79, minister of state (environment) from 1977–79, then back to the minister of the environment from 1979–84. In 1989, the second incarnation of the Department of Forestry was established under the ''Department of Forestry Act'' (assented to 21 December 1989).The Department of Forestry Act, 1989 (Canada)
/ref> In 1995, the forestry portfolio was merged with that of the minister of energy, mines and resources to create the post of minister of natural resources.

List of ministers

Key:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Natural Resources (Canada)

Natural Resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

Natural Resources Canada Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Natural Resources

History

Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources

Minister of Forestry

List of ministers

See also

References