Structure of the Canadian federal government

The following list outlines the structure of the federal government of Canada, the collective set of federal institutions which can be grouped into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In turn, these are further divided into departments, agencies, and other organizations which support the day-to-day function of the Canadian state.

The list includes roughly 130 departments and other organizations, with nearly 300,000 employees, who collectively form the Public Service of Canada. Special Operating Agencies (which are departmental organizations), and non-departmental organizations such as Crown corporations, administrative tribunals, and oversight organizations are parts of the public service operating in areas seen as requiring a higher level of independence from it and the direct political control of ministers. Public servants are agents of the Crown and responsible to Parliament through their relevant minister.

This list is organized according to functional grouping and is further subdivided by category such as offices, departments, agencies, and Crown corporations:

The Crown

Regal and vice-regal offices

King's Privy Council

Executive

Public Service

Central agencies

Agency Abbreviation Established Ministers Deputy heads Associated entities
Finance FIN 1867 Chrystia Freeland (Minister of Finance) Michael Sabia (Deputy Minister)
Central bank
Intelligence agency
Crown corporations
Non-profit organization
Regulators
Review body
Privy Council Office PCO 1867 Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister)

Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister)

Bill Blair (President of the Privy Council)

Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs)

Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons)

John Hannaford (Clerk of the Privy Council)
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat TBS 1867 Anita Anand (President of the Treasury Board) Graham Flack (Secretary of the Treasury Board)

Ministerial departments

Department Abbreviation Established Ministers Deputy heads Associated entities
Agriculture and Agri-food AAFC 1868 Marie-Claude Bibeau (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food) Stefanie Beck (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Special Operating Agency
Crown corporations
Review Body
Canadian Heritage PCH 1993 Pablo Rodriguez (Minister of Canadian Heritage) Isabelle Mondou (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Special Operating Agencies
Crown corporations
Regulator
Review Body
  • Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs CIRNAC 2019

1880 (historic)

Marc Miller (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations)

Dan Vandal (Minister of Northern Affairs)

Daniel Quan-Watson (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
  • Cree-Naskapi Commission
  • Nunavut Wildlife Management Board
Crown corporation
  • Corporation for the Mitigation of Mackenzie Gas Project Impacts
Departmental corporation
Employment and Social Development ESDC 2003 Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development)

Carla Qualtrough (Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion)

Kamal Khera (Minister of Seniors)

Seamus O'Regan (Minister of Labour)

Jean-François Tremblay (Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development)

Sandra Hassan (Deputy Minister of Labour
Associate;
Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development)

Agencies
Programs
Joint Program
Crown Corporation
Review Bodies
Environment and Climate Change ECCC 1971 Steven Guilbeault (Minister of Environment and Climate Change) Chris Forbes (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Enforcement Agency
  • Parks Canada Wardens
  • Environmental Enforcement
  • Wildlife Enforcement
Review body
  • Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada
Fisheries and Oceans DFO 1868 Joyce Murray (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) Timothy Sargent (Deputy Minister)
Enforcement Agency
  • Fishery Officers
Special Operating Agency
Crown Corporation
  • Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation
Global Affairs GAC 1909 Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Harjit Sajjan (Minister of International Development)

Mary Ng (Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade)

Marta Morgan (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs)

John Hannaford (Deputy Minister of International Trade)

Leslie MacLean (Deputy Minister of International Development)

Agencies
Crown corporations
Review body
  • Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
Health HC 1993

1919 (historic)

Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Health) Stephen Lucas (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Funding Agency
Regulator
Review Body
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship IRCC 1994 Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship) Catrina Tapley (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
  • Citizenship Commission
Programs
Review Body
Indigenous Services ISC 2019 Patty Hajdu (Minister of Indigenous Services) Christiane Fox (Deputy Minister)
Special Operating Agency
  • Indian Oil and Gas
Review Body
  • Specific Claims Tribunal
Innovation, Science and Economic Development ISED 1993 François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry) Paul Thomson (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Funding agencies
Regional Economic Development Agencies
  • Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  • Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  • Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
  • Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
  • Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
  • Pacific Economic Development Canada
  • Prairies Economic Development Canada
Enforcement agency
Special Operating Agencies
Crown corporations
Non-profit organizations
Regulator
Review Body
Infrastructure INFC 2002 Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities)

Gudie Hutchings (Minister of Rural Economic Development)

Kelly Gillis (Deputy Minister)
Crown corporations
Justice JUS 1868 David Lametti (Minister of Justice and Attorney General) François Daigle (Deputy Minister and Deputy Attorney General)
Agencies
Review body
  • Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
National Defence DND 1923 Bill Blair (Minister of National Defence)

Lawrence MacAulay (Associate Minister of National Defence)

Bill Matthews (Deputy Minister)

General Wayne Eyre (Acting Chief of Defence Staff)

Agency
Intelligence agency
Special Operating Agencies
Program
Review bodies
  • Military Police Complaints Commission
  • Military Grievances External Review Committee
  • Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition
  • Office of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman
Natural Resources NRCan 1994 Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources) Jean-François Tremblay (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Crown corporation
Petroleum Boards
  • Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board
  • Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board
Regulators
Public Safety PS 2003 Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety)

Bill Blair (President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister for Emergency Preparedness)

Rob Stewart (Deputy Minister)
Agency
Enforcement agencies
Intelligence agency
Review bodies
Public Services and Procurement PSPC 1996 Helena Jaczek (Minister of Public Services and Procurement; Receiver General) Bill Matthews (Deputy Minister; Deputy Receiver-General)
Agency
Special Operating Agency
  • Translation Bureau
Crown corporations
Review Body
  • Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
Transport TC 1935 Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport) Michael Keenan (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Crown corporations
Enforcement Agency
Funds
  • Fund for Railway Accidents Involving Designated Goods
  • Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund
Review bodies
Veterans Affairs VAC 1944 Lawrence MacAulay (Minister of Veterans Affairs) Peter Ledwell (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Review bodies
Women and Gender Equality WAGE 2018

1976 (historic)

Marci Ien (Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth) Gina Wilson (Deputy Minister) None

Separate agency with direct ministerial oversight

Agency Abbreviation Established Minister Deputy head Associated entity
Canada Revenue Agency CRA 2003

1867 (historic)

Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue) Bob Hamilton (Commissioner of Revenue)
Review body
  • Office of the Taxpayers Ombudsperson

Independent agencies and offices

Independent review bodies

Canadian Armed Forces

Branch Abbreviation Established Minister Commander
Canadian Army CA 1855 Anita Anand Jocelyn Paul
Canadian Forces Intelligence Command CFINTCOM 2013 M.C. Wright
Canadian Joint Operations Command CJOC 2012 Bob Autchterlonie
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command CANSOFCOM 2006 Steve Boivin
Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF 1914 Al Meinzinger
Royal Canadian Navy RCN 1910 Angus Topshee
Canadian Forces Military Police CFMP 1917 Simon Trudeau

Parliament

Senate of Canada

Procedural officers

Standing committees

House of Commons of Canada

Procedural officers

Standing committees

Joint Standing Committees

Officers of Parliament

Agencies

Review bodies

Courts

See also

Provincial and territorial equivalents

References

  1. ^ "Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board". www.fpslreb-crtespf.gc.ca. Retrieved 8 January 2023.

External links

  • List of Government of Canada departments and agencies
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