The minister of national defence (MND; french: ministre de la défense nationale) 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

Cabinet of Canada The Cabinet of Canada (french: 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 ...

responsible for the management and direction of all matters relating to the national defence of Canada. The Department of National Defence is headed by the deputy minister of national defence (the department's senior civil servant), while the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

are headed by the chief of the defence staff (the senior serving military officer). Both are responsible to the minister of national defence. The

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

(represented by the

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

) is

Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces The commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: Commandant en chef des Forces armées canadiennes) exercises supreme command and control over Canada's military, the Canadian Armed Forces. Constitutionally, the command-in-chief is ves ...

and has final authority on all orders and laws for the "defence of the realm". The minister is responsible, through the tenets of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...

, to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for "the management and direction of the Canadian Forces". Any orders and instructions for the Canadian Armed Forces are issued by or through the chief of the defence staff. The Department of National Defence exists to aid the minister in carrying out her responsibilities, and acts as the civilian support system for the Canadian Forces. The current minister of national defence is

Anita Anand Anita Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the minister of national defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as ...

. The parliamentary secretary, who represents the minister when she is away from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

, is

Bryan May Bryan J. May (born September 19, 1974) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Canadian federal elections to represent the electoral district of Cambridge as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada. He is ...

History

On 1 January 1923, the '' National Defence Act, 1922'' came into effect, merging the

Department of Militia and Defence The Department of Militia and Defence was the department responsible for military land forces in Canada from 1906 to 1921. The Minister of Militia and Defence was in charge of this department. The department was created in 1906 when the Brit ...

, the

Department of the Naval Service Department of Naval Services (Canada) was the department responsible for the naval services in Canada during the transition from the Royal Navy to the Royal Canadian Navy from 1910 to 1923. The department came into existence in May 1910 with the p ...

, and the Air Board to form the Department of National Defence. The ministerial heads of the former departments, the

minister of militia and defence The Minister of Militia and Defence was the federal government minister in charge of the volunteer army units in Canada, the Canadian Militia. From 1855 to 1906, the minister was responsible for Canadian militia units only, as the British Army wa ...

, the minister of the naval service, and the

minister of aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

were merged to form a new position, the minister of national defence. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the minister of national defence was assisted by two subordinate ministers. The minister of national defence for air was an additional minister in the Department of National Defence responsible for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

; while the minister of national defence for naval services was another minister in the Department of National Defence responsible for the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

. The air and naval post was reincorporated into the portfolio of the minister of national defence following the Second World War. The

Munsinger affair The Munsinger affair was Canada's first national political sex scandal in 1966. The affair involved Gerda Munsinger, a German citizen who had been convicted in Germany as a common prostitute, a petty thief and a smuggler, who emigrated to Canada ...

was

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 first national political sex scandal in 1966. The affair involved

Gerda Munsinger Gerda Munsinger (born Gerda Hesler or Heseler or Hessler, also known as Olga Schmidt and Gerda Merkt; September 10, 1929 – November 24, 1998) was an East German prostitute and alleged Soviet spy (although these allegations were ultimately u ...

, a German citizen who had been convicted in Germany as a common prostitute, a petty thief and a smuggler, who emigrated to Canada in 1956 in spite of a warning card dated 1952, and who was in 1960 the mistress of the former

Associate Minister of National Defence The associate minister of national defence () is a member of the Canadian cabinet who is responsible for various files within the defence department as assigned by the prime minister or defence minister. The position was created in 1940 during ...

Pierre Sévigny. Munsinger was "a self-admitted espionage agent" in the employ of the "

Russian Intelligence Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

The Defence Portfolio

The Defence Portfolio is a collection of organizations and agencies that report to the minister of national defence. Although deputy heads for individual agencies direct and oversee the activities of their agency, the minister is accountable to Parliament its activities. The Defence Portfolio includes: *

Communications Security Establishment The Communications Security Establishment (CSE; french: Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications, ''CST''), formerly (from 2008-2014) called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), is the Government of Canada's national ...

Defence Research and Development Canada Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC; french: Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada, ''RDDC'') is a special operating agency of the Department of National Defence (DND), whose purpose is to provide the Canadian Armed Forces ...

* Department of National Defence * Cadets Canada and Junior Canadian Rangers * Military Grievances External Review Committee *

Canadian Forces Housing Agency The Canadian Forces Housing Agency is a special operating agency that manages military housing on behalf of the Canadian Department of National Defence for members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families located on wings and bases. Esta ...

Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) ( French: ''Services de bien-être et moral des Forces canadiennes''; ''SBMFC''), previously known as Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services (CFPFSS) and Canadian Forces Personnel ...

* Judge Advocate General * Military Police Complaints Commission *

National Search and Rescue Secretariat The National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS) was an independent portfolio organization within the Government of Canada's Department of National Defence, established in 1986 as one of the recommendations resulting from the Royal Commission of E ...

* Office of the Chief Military Judge * Office of the Legal Advisor to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF LA) * Office of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman The minister of national defence is also the designated lead minister for search and rescue (LMSAR) within the federal government.

List of ministers

Key:

Ministers with military experience

Bill Graham was enrolled under the University Naval Training Division of the

Royal Canadian Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, in ...

and received commission as

Sub Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in 1960. Graham did not serve in the Navy following his commission and thus does not have military experience.

References

External links