The minister of fisheries () 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 ...

responsible for the

Department of Fisheries and Oceans Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; ) is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland ...

(DFO) and the

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; ) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and i ...

(CCG). The minister is a member of 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 ...

and the

Canadian Cabinet The Canadian Ministry ( French: ''Conseil des ministres''), colloquially referred to as 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 ...

. Joanne Thompson has been the minister of fisheries since March 14, 2025. The minister is selected by the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and appointed by the Crown. The title was first used in 1930, however, the role as it exists today was established in 1979 as the minister of fisheries and oceans. From 2015 to 2025, the officeholder was known as the minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, before it was changed to the current title in 2025.

History

There was a minister of marine and fisheries from

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

in 1867 onwards. The role was split in two in 1930, with duties related to fisheries going to the new minister of fisheries, and all other responsibilities going to the new minister of marine, which was merged into the role of

minister of transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

a few years later. The minister of fisheries lasted from 1930 to 1969, at which point the post was merged with forestry to create the post of minister of fisheries and forestry. This lasted only two years, until 1971, when the minister of fisheries became a secondary role held concurrently by the

minister of the environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of a ...

. In 1974, the fisheries portfolio was assigned to

Roméo LeBlanc Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1928June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist and politician who served as the 25th governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999. LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also studied in France prior ...

as the minister of state (fisheries) assisting the minister of the environment. When LeBlanc was appointed as the minister of the environment in 1976, the post was restyled minister of fisheries and environment. The current post of minister of fisheries and oceans was established in 1979, and it has continued under various names since then.

Hunter Tootoo Hunter A. Tootoo (Inuktitut: Hᐊᓐᑕ ᑐᑐ; born August 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Nunavut from 2015 to 2019. Elected as a Liberal to the House of Commons, he was appointed Minister of ...

was the first

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

person to hold this portfolio, from November 4, 2015 until May 31, 2016.

Ministers of Marine and Fisheries (1867–1930)

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Ministers of Fisheries (1930–1969)

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Ministers of Fisheries and Forestry (1969–1971)

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Ministers responsible for Fisheries through the Department of Environment (1971–1979)

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Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans (1979–present)

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Fisheries And Oceans, Canadian Coast Guard . Fisheries and Oceans Canadian Coast Guard Coasts of Canada Fisheries in Canada Fishing in Canada