The minister of transport (french: ministre des transports) is a
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 Ca ...
. The minister is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department,
Transport Canada
Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...
, as well as
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
, the
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...
,
Nav Canada, and the
Port Authority
In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other t ...
system.
Since 12 January 2021, the position has been held by
Omar Alghabra of the
Liberal Party.
History
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,
with responsibilities for ports and harbours going to the
minister of marine and fisheries
The minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for supervising the fishing industry, administrating all navigable waterways in the country, and overseeing the o ...
.
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.
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
A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Li ...
's third cabinet in 1935,
C. D. Howe
Clarence Decatur Howe, (15 January 1886 – 31 December 1960) was an American-born Canadian engineer, businessman and Liberal Party politician. Howe served as a cabinet minister in the governments of prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie ...
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
The minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for supervising the fishing industry, administrating all navigable waterways in the country, and overseeing the o ...
in 1930.
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,
and C. D. Howe was appointed as the first Minister of Transport.
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
The minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities (french: Ministre des Affaires intergouvernementales) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the federal government's relations wit ...
.
[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]
Transport Canada used to manage most of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
'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
In addition to Transport Canada, the minister of transport is responsible for overseeing 55 other entities,
the majority of which are port authorities and airport authorities:
*
Transport Canada
Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...
*Shared governance organizations:
** 18 port authorities
** 21 airport authorities
**
Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
**
Nav Canada
**
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), formerly known as the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, is a nonprofit Canadian Corporation established in 1998 by the government of Canada, in partnership with Seaway users and other stakeho ...
*Crown corporations:
**
Atlantic Pilotage Authority
**
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA; french: Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien) is the Canadian Crown Corporation responsible for security screening of people and baggage and the administration of ide ...
**
Federal Bridge Corporation
**
Great Lakes Pilotage Authority
The Great Lakes Pilotage Authority (french: Administration de pilotage des Grands Lacs) is a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada, which was established as a result of recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Pilotage in Canada, b ...
**
Laurentian Pilotage Authority
**
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. (french: Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian federal Crown corporation which is mandated to operate ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Marine Atlantic's corporate hea ...
**
Pacific Pilotage Authority
The Pacific Pilotage Authority (french: Administration de pilotage du Pacifique) is a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada that is responsible for pilotage through coastal waters in British Columbia, including the Fraser River
The Fr ...
**
Ridley Terminals
**
Via Rail
*Other entities:
**
Canadian Transportation Agency
** Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund
** The Fund for Railway Accidents Involving Designated Goods
**
Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, and ...
Minister of Railways and Canals (1879-1936)
Key:
Minister of Marine (1930-1936)
Key:
Minister of Transport (1936-present)
Key:
See also
*
Infrastructure and Communities
The Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities (french: Ministre du Logement, de l’Infrastructure et des Collectivités) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the development of Canada's infrastr ...
References
{{Cabinet of Canada
Transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
1936 establishments in Canada