Editing Cabinet of Canada

{{Short description|Canadian body of ministers of the Crown}}
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2016}}

{{Canadian politics}}

The '''Canadian Ministry''' ([[Canadian French|French]]: ''Conseil des ministres''),<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 14, 2025 |title=Cabinet |url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/cabinet |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=Prime Minister of Canada |language=en |quote=The Canadian Ministry is commonly referred to as Cabinet. It is the body of ministerial advisors that sets the federal government’s policies and priorities for the country. |trans-quote=Le Conseil des ministres est communément appelé le Cabinet. C'est l'organe de conseillers ministériels qui définit les politiques et les priorités du gouvernement fédéral pour le pays.}}</ref> colloquially referred to as the '''Cabinet of Canada''' ({{langx|fr|Cabinet du Canada}}), is a body of [[Minister of the Crown|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 of Canada|prime minister]], the [[Cabinet (government)|Cabinet]] is part of and acts on behalf of the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]] and the senior echelon of the [[Ministry (collective executive)|Ministry]], the membership of the Cabinet and Ministry often being co-terminal; {{as of|2025|3|lc=yes}} there were no members of the latter who were not also members of the former.

For practical reasons, the Cabinet is informally referred to either in relation to the prime minister in charge of it or the number of ministries since [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]]. The current Cabinet is the Cabinet of [[Mark Carney]], which is part of the [[30th Canadian Ministry|30th Ministry]]. The interchangeable use of the terms ''cabinet'' and '' ministry'' is a subtle inaccuracy that can cause confusion.

==Composition==
===Governor-in-Council===
The [[Government of Canada]], formally referred to as ''[[His Majesty's Government (term)|His Majesty's Government]]'',{{sfn|MacLeod|2008|p=18}}<ref>{{Citation| last=Wrong| first= Humphrey Hume| author-link=H. H. Wrong| date=10 November 1952| location=Ottawa| title=Relations With the United States| editor-last=Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada| editor-link=Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade| journal=Documents on Canadian External Relations| volume= 18-867}}</ref> is defined by [[Constitution of Canada|the constitution]] as [[Charles III|the King]] acting on the advice of [[King's Privy Council for Canada|his Privy Council]];<ref>{{Citation| last=Victoria| author-link=Queen Victoria| date=29 March 1867| title=Constitution Act, 1867| series=III.9 & 11| location=Westminster| publisher=[[Queen's Printer]] for Canada| url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html| access-date=15 January 2009}}</ref><ref name=MarleauExecutive>{{cite book| last=Marleau| first=Robert|author2=Montpetit, Camille| title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2000| location=Ottawa| chapter= Parliamentary Institutions |chapter-url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Sec=Ch01&Seq=3&Lang=E| isbn=2-89461-378-4}}</ref> what is technically known as the ''Governor-in-Council'',<ref>{{Citation|last=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |date=1 April 2005 |title=Interpretation Act |series=35.1 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-i-21/latest/rsc-1985-c-i-21.html |access-date=7 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705082900/http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-i-21/latest/rsc-1985-c-i-21.html |archive-date=July 5, 2009 }}</ref> referring to the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]] as the King's delegate. However, the Privy Council—composed mostly of former members of parliament, current and former [[chief justices of Canada]], and other elder statesmen—rarely meets in full; as the stipulations of [[responsible government]] require that those who directly [[Advice (constitutional)|advise]] the monarch and governor general on how to exercise the [[Royal Prerogative]] be accountable to the elected [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], the day-to-day operation of government is guided only by a sub-group of the Privy Council made up of individuals who hold seats in Parliament.<ref name=MarleauExecutive/> This body of [[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] is the Cabinet, which has come to be the ''council'' in the phrase ''King-in-Council''.
[[File:Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her Canadian Ministers at Rideau Hall 1 July 1967.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth II]], [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]], with her Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister [[Lester B. Pearson]], part of the [[19th Canadian Ministry]] (Elizabeth's third), at [[Rideau Hall]], 1 July 1967]]

In the context of [[constitutional monarchy]] and [[responsible government]], the ministerial advice tendered is typically binding; though, it is important to note that the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown, not to any of the ministers,<ref name=Murdoch>{{cite journal| last=Cox| first=Noel| title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence| journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law| volume=9| issue=3| page=12| publisher=Murdoch University| location=Perth| date= September 2002| url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html| access-date=17 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Neitsch |first=Alfred Thomas |title=A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=30 |issue=4 |page=23 |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |location=Ottawa |year=2008 |url = http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121025113652/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref> and the royal and viceregal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional [[constitutional crisis]] situations.{{NoteTag|{{anchor|Royal prerogative against the prime minister}}<!--Linked from [[King's Privy Council for Canada]]-->[[Eugene Forsey]] said of this: "in Canada, the head of state can, in exceptional circumstances, protect Parliament and the people against a prime minister and ministers who may forget that 'minister' means 'servant' and may try to make themselves masters. For example, the head of state could refuse to let a Cabinet dissolve a newly elected House of Commons before it could even meet, or could refuse to let ministers bludgeon the people into submission by a continuous series of general elections,"<ref>{{harvnb| Forsey| 2005| p=26}}</ref> and [[Larry Zolf]] commented: "The governor general must take all steps necessary to thwart the will of a ruthless prime minister prematurely calling for the death of a Parliament."<ref>{{cite news| last=Zolf| first=Larry| author-link=Larry Zolf| title=Boxing in a Prime Minister| publisher=CBC| date=June 28, 2002| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_zolf/20020628.html| accessdate=May 11, 2013| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120135039/http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_zolf/20020628.html| archive-date=January 20, 2011}}</ref> Robert E. Hawkins summed up, "the governor general's role in times of crisis is to ensure that normal democratic discourse can resume.<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5EHDAAAQBAJ&dq=history+of+the+%22queen%27s+personal+canadian+flag%22&pg=PR2| editor-last1=Jackson| editor-first1=D. Michael| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe| last=Hawkins| first=Robert E.| title=Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy| chapter="Inefficient efficiency": The Use of Vice-Regal Reserve Powers| page=104| publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press| location=Montreal| year=2013| isbn=978-1-55339-204-0| accessdate=18 April 2023}}</ref> Examples of such actions took place during the viceregal service of [[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|the Viscount Byng of Vimy]], [[John C. Bowen]],<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/pub/gdbook/Part1/page2.htm |last=Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta |title=The Citizen's Guide to the Alberta Legislature| publisher=Queen's Printer for Alberta| accessdate= July 29, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316121810/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pub/gdbook/Part1/page2.htm| archive-date=March 16, 2007}}</ref> [[Frank Lindsay Bastedo]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| last=Jackson| first=Michael| title=Bastedo, Frank Lindsay (1886–1973)| encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan| publisher=University of Regina| year=2006| url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/bastedo_frank_lindsay_1886-1973.html| accessdate=May 18, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524112727/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/bastedo_frank_lindsay_1886-1973.html| archive-date=May 24, 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Judith Guichon]].<ref>{{citation| last=Jackson| first=D. Michael| title=The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constittuional Monarchy| page=14| year=2018| publisher=Dundurn| location=Toronto| isbn=978-1-4597-4118-8}}</ref>|name=RP}}{{refn|<ref>{{citation| url= http://www.revparl.ca/34/2/34n2_11e_Russell.pdf| last=Russell| first=Peter H.| title=Discretion and the Reserve Powers of the Crown| journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review| issue=Summer 2011| page=19| publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association| accessdate=January 17, 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|McWhinney|2005|pp=16–17}}<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html| publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]| website=By Executive Decree| title=The Governor General| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811074157/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html| archive-date=August 11, 2009| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Dawson|Dawson|1989|pp=68–69}}<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.gg.ca/en/role/responsibilities| website=The Governor General of Canada| title=Responsibilities| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| df=mdy-all| accessdate=13 October 2019| archive-date=January 23, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123012156/https://www.gg.ca/en/role/responsibilities| url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn| Tidridge| 2011| p=57}}{{sfn| Forsey| 2005| pp=4,34}}<ref>{{cite journal| last=Forsey| first=Helen| title=As David Johnson Enters Rideau Hall...| journal=The Monitor| publisher=Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives| location=Ottawa| date=October 1, 2010| url=http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall| accessdate=January 23, 2011}}</ref>}} There are also [[Monarchy of Canada#Executive (King-in-Council)|a few duties which must be specifically performed by, or bills that require assent by, the King]]. Royal assent has never been denied to a bill passed by the federal Parliament.{{sfn|Brooks|2009|p=234}}

One of the main duties of the Crown is to appoint as [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] the individual most likely to maintain the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of the House of Commons; this is usually the leader of the [[List of political parties in Canada|political party]] with a plurality of seats in that house. But, when no party or coalition holds a majority (referred to as a [[hung parliament]]), or similar scenario, the governor general's judgment about the most suitable candidate for prime minister must be brought into play.<ref name=GG>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080616012920/http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 16, 2008| last=Office of the Governor-General of Canada| title=Media > Fact Sheets > The Swearing-In of a New Ministry| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=18 May 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref> The prime minister thereafter heads the Cabinet. The King is informed by his viceroy of the acceptance of the resignation of a prime minister and the swearing-in of a new ministry<ref name=GG/> and he remains fully briefed through regular communications from his Canadian ministers and holds audience with them whenever possible.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Canada.aspx| last=The Royal Household| title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada| publisher=[[Queen's Printer]]| access-date=14 May 2009}}</ref>

===Selection and structure===
The governor general appoints to the Cabinet persons chosen by the prime minister—[[John A. Macdonald]] once half-jokingly listed his occupation as [[cabinet maker]]. While there are no legal qualifications of the potential ministers, there are a number of conventions that are expected to be followed. For instance, there is typically a minister from each [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]], ministers from [[visible minority]], [[Disability in Canada|with disability]] and [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]] groups, female ministers, and, while the majority of those chosen to serve as ministers of the Crown are [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|members of Parliament]], a cabinet sometimes includes a [[Senate of Canada|senator]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=Cabinet&doc=about-apropos_e.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202144422/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=Cabinet&doc=about-apropos_e.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=2 February 2009| last=Privy Council Office| author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada)| title=Information Resources > About Cabinet| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=18 October 2009}}</ref> especially as a representative of a province or region where the governing [[Political party|party]] won few or no [[Riding (division)|ridings]]. Efforts are further made to indulge interest groups that support the incumbent government and the party's internal politics must be appeased. It is not legally necessary for Cabinet members to have a position in parliament although they are almost always selected from the House of Commons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kerby |first=Matthew |date=September 2009 |title=Worth the Wait: Determinants of Ministerial Appointment in Canada, 1935–2008 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0008423909990424 |journal=Canadian Journal of Political Science |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=593–611 |doi=10.1017/s0008423909990424 |issn=0008-4239}}</ref>
[[Image:KingCabinetMeeting1930.jpg|thumb|left|A meeting of the Cabinet of [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] in 1930]]

As with other [[Westminster system|Westminster-derived governments]], but unlike the [[United States Cabinet]], the size and structure of the Canadian Cabinet is relatively malleable, the slate of Cabinet positions tending to be substantially restructured periodically, the last major period of realignment occurring between 1993 and 1996. Throughout the 20th century, cabinets had been expanding in size until the Cabinet chaired by [[Brian Mulroney]], with a population of 40 ministers. Mulroney's successor, [[Kim Campbell]], reduced this number and [[Jean Chrétien]] eliminated approximately 10 members of the ministry from the Cabinet, so that, by 1994, there were a total of 23 persons in Cabinet. Under the chairmanship of [[Paul Martin]], the number increased again to 39, in the vicinity of which it has remained. The Trudeau Cabinet comprised 37 ministers in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cabinet|url=https://pm.gc.ca/en/cabinet|access-date=2021-10-02|website=Prime Minister of Canada}}</ref>

Cabinet itself—or full Cabinet—is further divided into committees. The [[Treasury Board]], overseeing the expenditure of the sovereign's state funds within every department, is one of the most important of these. The structure of Cabinet fluctuates between and within ministries. For example, the [[Priorities and Planning Committee]], often referred to as the ''inner Cabinet'', was the body that set the strategic directions for the government under Stephen Harper, approving key appointments and ratifying committee memberships. This committee ceased to exist under Justin Trudeau.<ref name=pm.gc.ca>{{Cite web|date=1970-01-01|title=Cabinet Committee Mandate and Membership|url=https://pm.gc.ca/en/cabinet-committee-mandate-and-membership|access-date=2021-10-02|website=Prime Minister of Canada}}</ref> Other Cabinet committees common across committee structures include operations, social affairs, a committee focused on economic growth, foreign affairs and security, the environment, and energy security.<ref name=CCMM>{{Citation| last=Office of the Prime Minister of Canada| author-link=Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)| title=Cabinet Committee Mandates and Membership| place=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=30 October 2008| url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/grfx/docs/Cab_committee-comite.pdf| access-date=18 October 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327055132/http://www.pm.gc.ca/grfx/docs/Cab_committee-comite.pdf| archive-date=March 27, 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref> Each committee is chaired by a senior minister whose own portfolio may intersect with the mandate of the committee.<ref name=pm.gc.ca/>

===Ministers, secretaries, and deputies===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}} 
[[File:16th Canadian Ministry.jpg|thumb|right|The 16th Canadian Ministry, headed by [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], on the grounds of [[Rideau Hall]], 19 June 1945]]

Each minister of the Crown is responsible for the general administration of at least one government portfolio and heads a corresponding [[Ministry (government department)|ministry or ministries]], known in Canada as [[Structure of the Canadian federal government|departments or agencies]]. The most important minister, following the [[first minister]], is the [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|minister of finance]], while other high-profile ministries include [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|foreign affairs]], [[Minister of Industry (Canada)|industry]], [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|justice]], and [[Minister of Health (Canada)|health]]. The official [[Canadian order of precedence|order of precedence]] does not follow the same pattern, however, with ministers being listed in the order of their appointment to the Privy Council; if appointed on the same day, the individuals are placed in order of their election or appointment to Parliament.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilations/federalgovernment/theministry.aspx?sortcolumn=precedence&sortdirection=asc| last=Library of Parliament| author-link=Library of Parliament| title=Federal government > The ministry| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=18 October 2009}}</ref>

Unique positions in Cabinet are those such as [[Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Canada)|leader of the government in the House of Commons]] and [[President of the King's Privy Council for Canada|president of the King's Privy Council]], who have no corresponding department and some ministers, such as the minister for international cooperation, head agencies under the umbrella of a department run by another minister. Further, the prime minister may recommend the governor general appoint to Cabinet some [[minister without portfolio|ministers without portfolio]], which was last done in 2021, when Prime Minister Trudeau advised the appointment of [[Jim Carr]] as Special Representative to the Prairies.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Curry|first1=Bill|last2=Walsh|first2=Marieke|date=2021-01-12|title=Trudeau shuffles senior ministers, puts Champagne in Innovation and Garneau at Global Affairs|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-trudeau-shuffles-senior-ministers-puts-champagne-in-innovation-and/|access-date=2021-10-02}}</ref> Unlike in many other Westminster model governments, [[Minister of State (Canada)|ministers of state]] in Canada are considered full members of Cabinet, rather than of the ministry outside it, which has the effect of making the Canadian Cabinet much larger than its foreign counterparts. These individuals are assigned specific, but temporary, responsibilities on a more [[ad hoc]] basis, fulfilling tasks created and dissolved to suit short-term government priorities from within a department under a full minister of the Crown. Ministers of state may also be named, but not specified any particular responsibilities, thus giving them the effective appearance of ministers without portfolio, or be delegated problems or initiatives that cut across departmental boundaries, a situation usually described as ''having the [situation] file''.

Members of the Cabinet receive assistance from both [[Parliamentary Secretary|parliamentary secretaries]]—who will usually answer, on behalf of a minister, questions in the House of Commons—and [[Deputy Minister (Canada)|deputy ministers]]—senior [[Civil service|civil servants]] assigned to each ministry in order to tender non-partisan advice.

==Responsibilities==
{{See also|Prime Minister of Canada#Role and authority}}

Composed of advisors to the sovereign, the Cabinet has significant power in the Canadian system and, as the governing party usually holds a [[Majority#Parliamentary rules|majority of seats]] in the legislature, almost all bills proposed by the Cabinet are enacted. Combined with a comparatively small proportion of [[Private Members' Bills|bills originating with individual members of Parliament]], this leads to Cabinet having almost total control over the legislative agenda of the House of Commons. Further, under the constitution, all legislation involving the raising or spending of public revenue must originate from the Cabinet.{{sfn|Brooks|2009|p=236}}
[[File:St Laurent Cabinet.jpg|thumb|A meeting of Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister [[Louis St Laurent]], in the Privy Council Chamber, April 1953]]

Members of various executive agencies, heads of [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporations]], and other officials are appointed by the Crown-in-Council; though, some of these may be made only by the Governor General-in-Council, specifically. [[List of Canadian Royal Commissions|Royal commissions]] and [[public inquiries]] are also called through a [[Warrant (law)|royal warrant]] issued by the King or Governor-in-Council.

All Cabinet meetings are held behind closed doors and the minutes are kept confidential for 30 years, with Cabinet members being forbidden from discussing what transpires. Decisions made must be unanimous; though, this often occurs at the prime minister's direction and, once a decision has been reached, all Cabinet members must publicly support it. If any of these rules are violated, the offending minister is usually removed by the prime minister and, if the disagreement within the Cabinet is strong, a minister may resign, as did [[John Turner]] in 1975, over the subject of wage and price controls, and [[Michael Chong]] in 2006, over a parliamentary motion recognizing "the Québécois" as a nation within Canada.

However, the Cabinet's collective influence has been seen to be eclipsed by that of the prime minister alone. Former Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]] is credited with consolidating power in the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Office of the Prime Minister]] (PMO) and,<ref name=Macleans>{{cite journal| last=Geddes| first=John| title=Will the prorogation of Parliament set off a populist revolt?| journal=Maclean's| publisher=Kenneth Whyte| location=Toronto| date=January 25, 2009| url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/01/25/the-people-speak/| issn=0024-9262| accessdate=January 27, 2010}}</ref> at the end of the 20th century and into the 21st, analysts, such as [[Jeffrey Simpson]], [[Donald Savoie]], and [[John Gomery]], argued that both Parliament and the Cabinet had become overshadowed by prime ministerial power.{{sfn|Brooks|2009|p=258}} Savoie quoted an anonymous minister from the Liberal Party as saying Cabinet had become "a kind of focus group for the prime minister,"{{sfn|Savoie|1999|p=260}}<ref>{{Citation| last=Savoie|first=Donald| title=Who has the power?| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=May 12, 2010| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/who-has-the-power/article1565091/| accessdate=May 12, 2010}}</ref> while Simpson called cabinet a "mini-sounding board".{{NoteTag|Savoie offered the critique: "Cabinet has now joined Parliament as an institution being bypassed. Real political debate and decision-making are increasingly elsewhere—in federal-provincial meetings of first ministers, on [[Team Canada (politics)|Team Canada]] flights, where first ministers can hold informal meetings, in the prime minister's office, in the [[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]], in the [[Department of Finance Canada|Department of Finance]], and in international organizations and international summits. There is no indication that the one person who holds all the cards, the prime minister, and the [[Public Service of Canada|central agencies]] which enable him to bring effective political authority to the centre, are about to change things."<ref>{{Harvnb| Savoie| 1999| p=362}}</ref>|name= BNA}}{{sfn|Simpson| 2001| p=248 248}} Coyne wrote in 2015: "Cabinet does not matter [...] It does not govern: that is the job of the prime minister and of the group of political staff he has around him, and of the bureaucracy beyond them."<ref name=Coyne>{{cite news| url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-liberals-idea-for-gender-quota-in-cabinet-leaves-out-the-principle-of-merit| last=Coyne| first= Andrew| title=Liberals' idea for gender quota in Cabinet leaves out the principle of merit| date=June 30, 2015| newspaper=National Post| publisher=Post Media| accessdate=June 30, 2015}}</ref> John Robson criticised the use of the prime minister's name to identify the Cabinet, calling it a "bad habit" that "endorses while concealing the swollen pretension of the executive branch."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/john-robson-trudeaus-promise-of-electoral-reform-is-menacing| last=Robson| first=John| title=Trudeau's menacing promise of electoral reform| date=2 November 2015| newspaper=National Post| access-date=5 November 2015}}</ref>

==Shadow cabinets==
Each party in [[Official Opposition (Canada)|His Majesty's Loyal Opposition]] creates a [[shadow cabinet]], with each member thereof observing and critiquing one or more corresponding, actual Cabinet portfolios and offering alternative policies. The [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)|Official Opposition's shadow cabinet]] comprises members of the party holding the second-largest number of seats and is appointed by the [[Leader of the Opposition (Canada)|leader of the Opposition]]; it is generally regarded as a "government in waiting". Its members are often, but not always, appointed to a Cabinet post, should the leader of their party be called to form a government.

==Current Cabinet==
{{main|30th Canadian Ministry}}
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{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
!colspan="7" |Cabinet ministers
|-
|colspan="6" style="text-align:center" | [[File:Arms of Canada (shield).svg|25px]]<br />[[30th Canadian Ministry]]<br/>(Listed according to the [[Canadian order of precedence]])<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/ministries| author=Parliament of Canada| title=Ministry (Cabinet)| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=March 15, 2025}}</ref>
|-
!Ministry
!Date of creation
!Incumbent
!Province
!Minister since
!Precedence date{{efn|Ministers' positions in the order of precedence are determined as follows: the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the remaining ministers in order that they were sworn into the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Current alphabetical list of members - King's Privy Council for Canada |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/services/king-privy-council-canada.html#xG |website=canada.ca |access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref>}}
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Canada]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
|[[Mark Carney]]
|QC
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|data-sort-value="0" | {{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|-
|[[Deputy Prime Minister of Canada]]
|{{dts|September 16, 1977}}
| ''Vacant''
| ''N/A''
|December 16, 2024
| data-sort-value="1" | ''N/A''
|-
|[[Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities|Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Dominic LeBlanc]]
| rowspan="2" |NB
|December 20, 2024
| rowspan="2" |{{dts|July 20, 2004}}
|-
|[[President of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|-
|[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development]]
|{{dts|November 4, 1993}}
|[[Mélanie Joly]]
|QC
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|{{dts|November 4, 2015}}
|-
|[[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
|[[François-Philippe Champagne]]
|QC
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
| rowspan="1" | {{dts|January 10, 2017}}
|-
|[[Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry]]
|{{dts|March 29, 1995}}
|[[Anita Anand]]
|ON
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|{{dts|November 20, 2019}}
|-
|[[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]]
|{{dts|January 1, 1923}}
|[[Bill Blair (politician)|Bill Blair]]
|ON
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|{{dts|July 18, 2018}}
|-
|[[Minister of Indigenous Services]]
|{{dts|August 28, 2017}}
|[[Patty Hajdu]]
|ON
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|{{dts|November 4, 2015}}
|-
|[[Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]]
|{{dts|January 12, 1995}}
|[[Jonathan Wilkinson]]
|BC
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|{{dts|July 18, 2018}}
|-
|[[President of the Treasury Board]]
|{{dts|October 1, 1966}}
|[[Ginette Petitpas Taylor]]
|NB
|{{dts|December 20, 2024}}
|{{dts|August 28, 2017}}
|-
|[[Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada and Quebec Lieutenant|Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada]]
|{{dts|July 12, 1996}}
|[[Steven Guilbeault]]
|QC
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|{{dts|November 20, 2019}}
|-
|[[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport and Internal Trade]]
|{{dts|November 2, 1936}}
|[[Chrystia Freeland]]
|ON
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|{{dts|November 4, 2015}}
|-
|[[Minister of Health (Canada)|Minister of Health]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|[[Kamal Khera]]
|ON
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations]]
|{{dts|August 28, 2017}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Gary Anandasangaree]]
|rowspan="2" |ON
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|rowspan="2" |{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|-
|[[Chief Government Whip (Canada)|Chief Government Whip]] 
|
|[[Rechie Valdez]]
|ON
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Jobs and Families]]
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}}
| [[Steven MacKinnon]]
| QC
|{{dts|March 14, 2025}} 
|{{dts|August 28, 2017}}
|-











|-
|
|
|
|
|
|

|[[Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard]]
|{{dts|April 2, 1979}}
|[[Diane Lebouthillier]]
|QC
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[President of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
|rowspan="3" |[[Harjit Sajjan]]
|rowspan="3" |BC
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Emergency Preparedness]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Regional Development Agency (Canada)#Pacific Economic Development Canada|Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of International Development (Canada)|Minister of International Development]]
|{{dts|25 January 1996}}
|[[Ahmed Hussen]]
|ON
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}

|-
|[[Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|[[Mary Ng]]
|ON
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship]]
|{{dts|June 30, 1994}}
|[[Marc Miller (politician)|Marc Miller]]
|QC
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Health (Canada)|Minister of Health]]
|{{dts|July 12, 1996}}
|[[Mark Holland]]
|ON
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|{{dts|September 14, 2018}}
|-
|[[Minister for the purposes of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Act|Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]]
|{{dts|September 15, 1988}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Gudie Hutchings]]
|rowspan="2" |NL
|July 26, 2023
|rowspan="7" |{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of Rural Economic Development]]
|{{dts|January 14, 2019}}
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]]
|{{dts|June 11, 1971}}
|[[Marci Ien]]
|ON
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of Canadian Heritage]]
|{{dts|July 12, 1996}}
|rowspan="3" |[[Pascale St-Onge]]
|rowspan="3" |QC
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Tourism (Canada)|Minister of Tourism]]
|{{dts|June 25, 1993}}
|rowspan="2" |{{dts|February 6, 2025}}
|-
|[[Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]]
|{{dts|June 25, 1993}}
|-
|[[Minister of Citizens' Services]]
|{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|[[Terry Beech]]
|BC
|rowspan="6" |{{dts|July 26, 2023}}
|-
|[[Minister of Mental Health and Addictions]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|rowspan="2" | [[Ya'ara Saks]]
|rowspan="2" | ON
|-
|[[Associate Minister of Health]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|[[Jenna Sudds]]
|ON
|-
|[[Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada|Minister of Justice and Attorney General]]
|{{dts|July 1, 1867}}
|[[Arif Virani]]
|ON
|-
|[[Minister of Public Safety]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|[[David McGuinty]]
|ON
|rowspan="12" |{{dts|December 20, 2024}}
|{{dts|January 8, 2018}}
|-
|[[Minister of Democratic Institutions]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Ruby Sahota]]
|rowspan="2" |ON
|rowspan="2" |{{dts|January 19, 2024}}
|-
|[[Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario|Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister responsible for Official Languages (Canada)|Minister of Official Languages]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Rachel Bendayan]]
|rowspan="2" |QC
|rowspan="9" |{{dts|December 20, 2024}}
|-
|[[Minister of Public Safety|Associate Minister of Public Safety]]
|{{dts|December 20, 2024}}
|-
|[[Minister of National Revenue]]
|{{dts|March 21, 1927}}
|[[Élisabeth Brière]]
|QC

|-
|[[Minister of Sport]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Terry Duguid]]
|rowspan="2" |MB
|-
|[[Prairies Economic Development Canada|Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada]]
|{{dts|October 26, 2021}}
|-
|[[Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities]]
|{{dts|November 4, 2015}}
|[[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith]]
|ON
|-
|[[Minister of Veterans Affairs (Canada)|Minister of Veterans Affairs]]
|{{dts|December 12, 2003}}
|rowspan="2" |[[Darren Fisher]]
|rowspan="2" |NS
|-
|[[Associate Minister of National Defence]]
|{{dts|July 12, 1940}}
|-
|[[Minister of Seniors]]
|{{dts|January 4, 2011}}
|[[Joanne Thompson (politician)|Joanne Thompson]]
|NL
|-
|}

; Notes
{{Notelist}}


-->
==Former portfolios==
{{Div col |colwidth = 30em }}
*[[Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]] (2018–2019)
*[[List of Secretaries of State for the Provinces|Secretary of State for the Provinces]] (1867–1873)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Public Works|Minister of Public Works]] (1867–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Postmasters General|Postmaster General]] (1867–1981)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Customs|Minister of Customs]] (1867–1918)
*[[List of Canadian Minister of Inland Revenue|Minister of Inland Revenue]] (1867–1918)
*[[List of Secretaries of State for Canada|Secretary of State for Canada]] (1867–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Marine and Fisheries|Minister of Marine and Fisheries]] (1867–1930)
*[[List of Canadian Superintendents-General of Indian Affairs|Superintendent-General Indian Affairs]] (1868–1936)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of the Interior|Minister of the Interior]] (1873–1936)
*[[List of Canadian Solicitors General|Solicitor General]] (1892–2003)
*[[Minister of Mines (Canada)|Minister of Mines]] (1907–1936)
*[[List of Canadian Secretaries of State for External Affairs|Secretary of State for External Affairs]] (1909–1993)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Immigration and Colonization|Minister of Immigration and Colonization]] (1917–1936)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment|Minister of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment]] (1918–1928)
*[[Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue (Canada)|Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue]] (1918–1921)
*[[Minister of Customs and Excise]] (1921–1927)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Pensions and National Health|Minister of Pensions and National Health]] (1928–1944)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Fisheries|Minister of Fisheries]] (1930–1971)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Mines and Resources|Minister of Mines and Resources]] (1936–1950)
*[[Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys]] (1950–1966)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Resources and Development|Minister of Resources and Development]] (1950–1953)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Citizenship and Immigration|Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]] (1950–1966)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Northern Affairs and National Resources|Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources]] (1953–1966)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Manpower and Immigration|Minister of Manpower and Immigration]] (1966–1977)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Energy, Mines and Resources|Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources]] (1966–1995)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Consumer and Corporate Affairs|Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs]] (1968–1995)
*[[Leader of the Government in the Senate (Canada)|Leader of the Government in the Senate]] <small>([[List of Canadian Leaders of the Government in the Senate|list]])</small> (1969–2013)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Regional Economic Expansion|Minister of Regional Economic Expansion]] (1969–1982)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Communications|Minister of Economic Communications]] (1969–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Supply and Services|Minister of Supply and Services]] (1969–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Industry, Trade and Commerce|Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce]] (1969–1983)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Employment and Immigration|Minister of Employment and Immigration]] (1977–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Regional Industrial Expansion|Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion]] (1984–1990)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Forestry|Minister of Forestry]] (1990–1995)
*[[Health and Welfare Canada|Minister of National Health and Welfare]] (1944–1996)
*[[Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry|Minister of Industry, Science and Technology]] (1990–1995)
*[[Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs]] (1991–1993)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Multiculturalism and Citizenship|Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship]] (1991–1996)
*[[List of Canadian Ministers of Human Resources Development|Minister of Human Resources Development]] (1996–2003)
*[[Department of Defence Production (Canada)|Minister of Defence Production]] (1951—1969)
{{div col end}}
*[[Minister of Citizens' Services]] (2023–2025) 
*[[Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities]] (2019–2025)
*[[Minister of Mental Health and Addictions]] (2021–2025) 
*[[Minister responsible for Official Languages (Canada)|Minister of Official Languages]] (2003–2025)
*[[Minister of Seniors]] (2018–2025)
*[[Minister of Small Business (Canada)|Minister of Small Business]] (2015–2025)
*[[Minister of Sport (Canada)|Minister of Sport]]  (1961–1976, 2015–2025)
*[[Minister of Tourism (Canada)|Minister of Tourism]] (1980–1993, 2003–2025)
*[[Associate Minister of Health]] (2021–2025)
*[[Associate Minister of National Defence]] (1940–1967, 1985–1993, 2003–2025)
*[[Minister of Public Safety|Associate Minister of Public Safety]] (2024–2025)
*[[Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]] (1993–2025)

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
* [[List of Canadian ministries]]
* [[Structure of the Canadian federal government]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Brooks |first=Stephen |year=2009 |title=Canadian democracy |isbn=9780195431032 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=6th}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1 = R. MacGregor |last2 = Dawson |first2 = W.F. |title=Democratic Government in Canada |publisher= University of Toronto Press |year=1989 |location=Toronto |url = https://archive.org/details/democraticgovern0000daws |url-access=registration |edition=5th |isbn=0-8020-6703-4 }}
* {{cite book |last=Forsey |first=Eugene |author-link= Eugene Forsey |title=How Canadians Govern Themselves |publisher= Queen's Printer for Canada |year=2005 |location=Ottawa |edition=6th |url = http://www.parl.gc.ca/about/parliament/senatoreugeneforsey/book/assets/pdf/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves7.pdf |isbn=0-662-39689-8 |access-date=May 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120331024514/http://www.parl.gc.ca/about/parliament/senatoreugeneforsey/book/assets/pdf/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves7.pdf |archive-date=March 31, 2012 }}
* {{cite book |last=MacLeod| first=Kevin S.| author-link=Kevin S. MacLeod| title=A Crown of Maples| place=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2008| edition=1 |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/crnCdn/crn_mpls-eng.pdf| isbn=978-0-662-46012-1| access-date=21 June 2009 }}
* {{cite book |last=McWhinney |first=Edward | author-link=Ted McWhinney |title=The Governor General and the Prime Ministers|publisher=Ronsdale Press |year=2005 |location=Vancouver |isbn=1-55380-031-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Savoie | first=Donald | title=Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics |publisher=University of Toronto Press | year=1999 |location=Toronto |isbn= 978-0-8020-8252-7 }}
* {{cite book| last=Simpson| first=Jeffrey| author-link=Jeffrey Simpson| title=The Friendly Dictatorship| publisher=McClelland & Stewart| year=2001| location=Toronto| isbn=978-0-7710-8079-1| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/friendlydictator0000simp }}
* {{cite book| last=Tidridge |first=Nathan |title=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: An Introduction to Our Form of Government |publisher= Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |year=2011 |isbn=9781459700840 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JvGsvHsAtDgC }}

== External links ==
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainCabinetCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current Reference to current cabinet ministers]
* [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/FederalGovernment/MinisterialResponsabilities.aspx Cabinet Minister responsibilities]

{{Clear}}
{{Canexec}}
{{Parliament of Canada benches}}
{{Cabinet of Canada}}
{{Canadian ministries|state=collapsed}}
{{North America topic|Cabinet of |title = National cabinets of North America }}

[[Category:Ministerial offices in Canada| ]]
[[Category:Government of Canada]]
[[Category:National cabinets|Canada]]
[[Category:Westminster system in Canada]]