The minister of Sport and Physical Activity is a

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

cabinet minister responsible for

Sport Canada Sport Canada is a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage that develops federal sport policy in Canada, provides funding programs in support of sport, and administers special projects related to sport. Its mission "to enhance opportunities ...

(and

sports in Canada Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, baseball ...

, more generally), who typically assists the

minister of Canadian Heritage The minister of Canadian heritage (french: ministre du patrimoine canadien) is the minister of the Crown who heads Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for culture, media, sports, and the arts. History The po ...

. The specific name of the ministerial designation has changed many times since the position was introduced in 1961, typically depending on the portfolio it falls under. It was originally known as the Minister of Amateur Sport, answering to the

Minister of National Health and Welfare The minister of health (french: ministre de la Santé) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing health-focused government agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as we ...

. The position was then relegated to the Secretary of State in 1976, with various titles, only to return as a full cabinet position in 2015. That year, the title was changed to Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities following the appointment of

Carla Qualtrough Carla Dawn Qualtrough (; born October 15, 1971) is a Canadian politician and former Paralympic swimmer who is the minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion since 2019. Qualtrough has sat as the member of Parliamen ...

and the addition of the responsibility toward

disability in Canada According to a 2012 survey by Statistics Canada, around 3.8 million adult Canadians reported being "limited in their daily activities due to a disability". This represented 13.7% of the adult population. The three most-prevalent forms of disab ...

to the portfolio. In 2018, shortly after

Kirsty Duncan Kirsty Ellen Duncan (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian politician and medical geographer from Ontario, Canada. Duncan is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North and Duncan serves as deputy leader of the govern ...

assumed the role, the name was changed to the Minister of Science and Sport. After the 2019 federal election, Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

did not appoint a Minister for Sport, passing on this responsibility to the Minister of Canadian Heritage,

Steven Guilbeault Steven Guilbeault (born June 9, 1970) is a Canadian politician and former activist who has served as Minister of Environment and Climate Change since October 26, 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Guilbeault has sat as a member of Parliament (M ...

at the time. After the 2021 federal election, the position was once again spun out, and

Pascale St-Onge Pascale St-Onge (born May 13, 1977) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Brome—Missisquoi in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 Canadian federal election. St-Onge is the former president of the . She l ...

was appointed to the office. In the recent cabinet shuffle in 2023,

was appointed to the office again, and the name was changed to Minister of Sport and Physical Activity.

Ministers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister for Sport (Canada) Disability in Canada Sports in Canada Sport, Minister for Canada, Minister for Sport