Minister of Transport (Canada)

The minister of transport (French: ministre des transports) is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The minister is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Nav Canada, and the Port Authority system.[2] Since September 19, 2024, the position has been held by Anita Anand of the Liberal Party.

Minister of Transport
Ministre des Transports
Incumbent
Anita Anand
since 19 September 2024
Transport Canada
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports to
AppointerMonarch (represented by the governor general)
on the advice of the prime minister
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
PrecursorMinister of Railways and Canals Minister of Marine
Inaugural holderC. D. Howe
Formation2 November 1936
DeputyDeputy Minister of Transport
Salary$299,900 (2024)[1]
Websitewww.tc.gc.ca

History

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The Constitution Act, 1867 under section 92(10) established federal responsibility for land and sea transportation between provinces and internationally. Most transportation duties and powers were placed under the minister of public works,[3] with responsibilities for ports and harbours going to the minister of marine and fisheries.[4] In 1879, the Department of Public Works was divided in two, with powers and duties over rail and inland sea transport going to the newly formed minister of railways and canals.[5] The minister of railways and canals was one of the most important cabinet posts because of the importance of railways to the economic development of Canada, with three prime ministers assuming the position either before or during their premiership.

In Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's third cabinet in 1935, C. D. Howe was appointed to both the minister of railways and canals and the minister of marine, which was a short-lived position split from the minister of marine and fisheries in 1930.[6] The office of Minister of Transport was created by Mackenzie King in 1936, which was formally a successor to the minister of railways and canals,[7] and C. D. Howe was appointed as the first Minister of Transport.[8]

From 2006 to 2013, the position was styled Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, a name change corresponding with responsibility for Infrastructure Canada being transferred to the portfolio at that time. "Minister of Transport" remained the title for legal purposes. With the Cabinet shuffle of July 15, 2013, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio was separated from Transport and assigned to the minister of intergovernmental affairs.[9]

Transport Canada used to manage most of Canada's major airports, but in the 1990s, most airports were off-loaded to non-profit private airport authorities. The department is now responsible for transportation safety, appointments to Boards of Governors, and regulation management.

Portfolio

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In addition to Transport Canada, the minister of transport is responsible for overseeing 55 other entities,[2] the majority of which are port authorities and airport authorities:

Minister of Railways and Canals (1879–1936)

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Key:

Portrait Name Term of office Political party Ministry
  Sir Charles Tupper 20 May 1879 28 May 1884 Liberal-Conservative 3 (Macdonald)[10]
  John Henry Pope (acting) 29 May 1884 24 September 1885 Liberal-Conservative
  John Henry Pope 25 September 1885 1 April 1889 Liberal-Conservative
  vacant 2 April 1889 9 April 1889
  John A. Macdonald (acting) 10 April 1889 27 November 1889 Liberal-Conservative
  John A. Macdonald 28 November 1889 6 June 1891 Liberal-Conservative
  vacant 7 June 1891 16 June 1891 4 (Abbott)[11]
  Mackenzie Bowell (acting) 17 June 1891 10 January 1892 Conservative (historical)
  John Graham Haggart 11 January 1892 4 December 1892 Conservative (historical)
5 December 1892 20 December 1894 5 (Thompson)[12]
21 December 1894 5 January 1896 6 (Bowell)[13]
  Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (acting) 6 January 1896 14 January 1896 Conservative (historical)
  John Graham Haggart 15 January 1896 30 April 1896 Conservative (historical)
1 May 1896 8 July 1896 7 (Tupper)[14]
  vacant 6 January 1896 14 January 1896 8 (Laurier)[15]
  Andrew George Blair 20 July 1896 20 July 1903 Liberal
  William Stevens Fielding (acting) 21 July 1903 14 January 1904 Liberal
  Henry Emmerson 15 January 1904 2 April 1907 Liberal
  vacant 3 April 1907 8 April 1907
  William Stevens Fielding (acting) 9 April 1907 29 August 1907 Liberal
  George Perry Graham 30 August 1907 10 October 1911 Liberal
  Francis Cochrane 10 October 1911 12 October 1917 Conservative (historical) 9 (Borden)[16]
  John Dowsley Reid 12 October 1917 9 July 1920 Unionist 10 (Borden)[17]
10 July 1920 20 September 1921 11 (Meighen)[18]
  John Alexander Stewart 21 September 1921 29 December 1921 Unionist
  William Costello Kennedy 29 December 1921 18 January 1923 Liberal 12 (King)[19]
  vacant 19 January 1923 27 April 1923
  George Perry Graham 28 April 1923 19 February 1926 Liberal
  vacant 20 February 1926 28 February 1926
  Charles Avery Dunning 1 March 1926 28 June 1926 Liberal
  Henry Lumley Drayton (acting) 29 June 1926 12 July 1926 Conservative (historical) 13 (Meighen)[20]
  William Anderson Black (acting) 13 July 1926 25 September 1926 Conservative (historical)
  Charles Avery Dunning 25 September 1926 25 November 1929 Liberal 14 (King)[6]
  Charles Avery Dunning (acting) 26 November 1929 29 December 1929 Liberal
  Thomas Crerar 30 December 1929 7 August 1930 Liberal
  Robert James Manion 7 August 1930 23 October 1935 Conservative (historical) 15 (Bennett)[21]
  C. D. Howe 23 October 1935 1 November 1936 Liberal 16 (King)[8]
Railways and Canals portfolio moved to Minister of Transport.

Minister of Marine (1930–1936)

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Key:

Portrait Name Term of office Political party Ministry
  Arthur Cardin 14 June 1930 7 August 1930 Liberal 14 (King)[6]
  Alfred Duranleau 7 August 1930 19 July 1935 Conservative (historical) 15 (Bennett)[21]
  vacant 20 July 1935 29 August 1935
  Lucien Henri Gendron 30 August 1935 23 October 1935 Conservative (historical)
  C. D. Howe 23 October 1935 1 November 1936 Liberal 16 (King)[8]
Marine portfolio moved to Minister of Transport.

Minister of Transport (1936–present)

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Key:

Portrait Name Term of office Political party Ministry
Minister of Transport
  C. D. Howe 2 November 1936 7 July 1940 Liberal 16 (King)[8]
  Arthur Cardin 8 July 1940 12 May 1942 Liberal
  C. D. Howe (acting) 13 May 1942 5 October 1942 Liberal
  Joseph-Enoil Michaud 6 October 1942 17 April 1945 Liberal
  Lionel Chevrier 18 April 1945 14 November 1948 Liberal
15 November 1948 30 June 1954 17 (St. Laurent)[22]
  George Carlyle Marler 1 July 1954 20 June 1957 Liberal
  George Hees 21 June 1957 10 October 1960 Progressive Conservative 18 (Diefenbaker)[23]
  Léon Balcer 11 October 1960 21 April 1963 Progressive Conservative
  George McIlraith 22 April 1963 2 February 1964 Liberal 19 (Pearson)[24]
  Jack Pickersgill 3 February 1964 18 September 1967 Liberal
  Paul Hellyer 19 September 1967 19 April 1968 Liberal
20 April 1968 29 April 1969 20 (P. E. Trudeau)[25]
  James Armstrong Richardson (acting) 30 April 1969 4 May 1969 Liberal
  Don Jamieson 5 May 1969 26 November 1972 Liberal
  Jean Marchand 27 November 1972 25 September 1975 Liberal
  Otto Lang 26 September 1975 3 June 1979 Liberal
  Don Mazankowski 4 June 1979 2 March 1980 Progressive Conservative 21 (Clark)[26]
  Jean-Luc Pépin 3 March 1980 11 August 1983 Liberal 22 (P. E. Trudeau)[27]
  Lloyd Axworthy 12 August 1983 29 June 1984 Liberal
30 June 1984 16 September 1984 23 (Turner)[28]
  Don Mazankowski (2nd time) 17 September 1984 29 June 1986 Progressive Conservative 24 (Mulroney)[29]
  John Crosbie 30 June 1986 30 March 1988 Progressive Conservative
  Benoît Bouchard 31 March 1988 22 February 1990 Progressive Conservative
  Doug Lewis 23 February 1990 20 April 1991 Progressive Conservative
  Jean Corbeil 21 April 1991 24 June 1993 Progressive Conservative
25 June 1993 3 November 1993 25 (Campbell)[30]
  Doug Young 4 November 1993 24 January 1996 Liberal 26 (Chrétien)[31]
  David Anderson 25 January 1996 10 June 1997 Liberal
  David Collenette 11 June 1997 11 December 2003 Liberal
  Tony Valeri 12 December 2003 19 July 2004 Liberal 27 (Martin)[32]
  Jean Lapierre 20 July 2004 5 February 2006 Liberal
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities
  Lawrence Cannon 6 February 2006 30 October 2008 Conservative 28 (Harper)[33]
  John Baird 30 October 2008 6 August 2010 Conservative
  Chuck Strahl 6 August 2010 18 May 2011 Conservative
  Denis Lebel 18 May 2011 15 July 2013 Conservative
Minister of Transport
  Lisa Raitt 15 July 2013 4 November 2015 Conservative 28 (Harper)[33]
  Marc Garneau 4 November 2015 12 January 2021 Liberal 29 (J. Trudeau)
  Omar Alghabra 12 January 2021 26 July 2023 Liberal
  Pablo Rodriguez 26 July 2023 19 September 2024 Liberal
  Anita Anand 19 September 2024 20 December 2024 Liberal
Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
  Anita Anand 20 December 2024 Incumbent Liberal 29 (J. Trudeau)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances". Parliament of Canada.
  2. ^ a b "The Transport Canada Portfolio". Transport Canada. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  3. ^ An Act respecting the office of Receiver-General and Minister of Public Works, S.C. 31 Victoria, c. 12, s. 12
  4. ^ An Act for the organization of the Department of Marine and Fisheries of Canada, S.C. 31 Victoria, c. 57, Sch. 1
  5. ^ An Act respecting the offices of Receiver-General and Minister of Public Works, S.C. 42 Victoria, c. 7, s. 4-5
  6. ^ a b c "Fourteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  7. ^ The Department of Transport Act, 1936, S.C. 1 Edward VIII, c. 34
  8. ^ a b c d "Sixteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  9. ^ Technically it was assigned to the President of the Privy Council, which also had responsibility for intergovernmental affairs. http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oic-ddc.asp?lang=eng&txtToDate=2013-07-15&txtPrecis=&Page=&txtOICID=&txtAct=&txtBillNo=&txtFromDate=2013-07-15&txtDepartment=&txtChapterNo=&txtChapterYear=&rdoComingIntoForce=&DoSearch=Search+/+List&pg=2&viewattach=28125&blnDisplayFlg=1
  10. ^ "Third Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  11. ^ "Fourth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  12. ^ "Fifth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  13. ^ "Sixth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  14. ^ "Seventh Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  15. ^ "Eighth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  16. ^ "Ninth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  17. ^ "Tenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  18. ^ "Eleventh Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  19. ^ "Twelfth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  20. ^ "Thirteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  21. ^ a b "Fifteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  22. ^ "Seventeenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  23. ^ "Eighteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  24. ^ "Nineteenth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  25. ^ "Twentieth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  26. ^ "Twenty-First Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  27. ^ "Twenty-Second Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  28. ^ "Twenty-Third Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  29. ^ "Twenty-Fourth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  30. ^ "Twenty-Fifth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  31. ^ "Twenty-Sixth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  32. ^ "Twenty-Seventh Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.
  33. ^ a b "Twenty-Eighth Ministry – The Ministries – Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation". Privy Council Office.