The minister of National Defence (MND; ) 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 ...

in the

Cabinet of Canada The Canadian Ministry (Canadian French, French: ''Conseil des ministres''), colloquially referred to as the Cabinet of Canada (), is a body of Minister of the Crown, ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the t ...

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; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

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 a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

(represented by the

governor general of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

) is Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces 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 br ...

, 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

David McGuinty David Joseph McGuinty (born February 25, 1960) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has been the Minister of National Defence since May 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, McGuinty has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Ottawa S ...

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

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

, is Bryan May.

History

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

Department of Militia and Defence The Department of Militia and Defence was the government department responsible for military land forces in Canada from 1868 to 1921. The Minister of Militia and Defence (Canada), Minister of Militia and Defence was in charge of this department. ...

, the Department of the Naval Service, 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 Canada, Canadian militia units only, as the British ...

, the minister of the naval service, and the minister of aviation 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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; ) 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 environmental commands within the unified Can ...

; 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; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

. The air and naval post was reincorporated into the portfolio of the minister of National Defence following the Second World War. The Munsinger affair was

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's first national political

sex scandal A sex scandal is a public scandal involving allegations or information about possibly immoral sexual activities, often associated with the sexual affairs of film stars, politicians, famous athletes, or others in the public eye. Sex scandals r ...

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

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 * Defence Research and Development Canada * Department of National Defence * Cadets Canada and Junior Canadian Rangers * Military Grievances External Review Committee * Canadian Forces Housing Agency * Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency * Judge Advocate General * Military Police Complaints Commission * National Search and Rescue Secretariat * 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 and received commission as sub lieutenant in 1960. Graham did not serve in the Navy following his commission and thus does not have military experience.

References

External links