Structure of the Canadian federal government

Politics of Canada
Government (structure)
The Crown
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Elections
Local government
Foreign relations
Crown and Indigenous peoples
Related topics

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

Further information: Monarchy of Canada

Regal and vice-regal offices

King's Privy Council

Executive

Public Service

Main article: Public Service of Canada

Central agencies

Agency Abbreviation Established Ministers Deputy heads Associated entities
Finance FIN 1867 Chrystia Freeland (Minister of Finance) Chris Forbes (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)

Harjit Sajjan (President of the Privy Council)

Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs)

Karina Gould (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) Bill Matthews

(Secretary of the Treasury Board)

Ministerial departments

Department Abbreviation Established Ministers Deputy heads Associated entities
Agriculture and Agri-Food AAFC 1868 Lawrence MacAulay (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food) Lawrence Hanson

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Special Operating Agency
Crown corporations
Review Body
Canadian Heritage PCH 1993 Pascale St-Onge (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)

Gary Anandasangaree (Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations)

Dan Vandal (Minister of Northern Affairs)

Valerie Gideon

(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 Jenna Sudds (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development)

Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages)

Steven MacKinnon (Minister of Seniors)

Steven MacKinnon (Minister of Labour)

Paul Thompson

(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) Jean-François Tremblay

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Enforcement Agency
  • Parks Canada Wardens
  • Environmental Enforcement
  • Wildlife Enforcement
Review body
  • Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada
Fisheries and Oceans DFO 1868 Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) Annette Gibbons

(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)

Ahmed Hussen (Minister of International Development)

Mary Ng (Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development)

David Morrison (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)

Mark Holland (Minister of Health) Stephen Lucas (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Funding Agency
Regulator
Review Body
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities HICC 2002 Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities)

Gudie Hutchings (Minister of Rural Economic Development)

Kelly Gillis (Deputy Minister)
Crown corporations
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship IRCC 1994 Marc Miller (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
Main article: Regional Development Agency (Canada)
  • 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
Justice JUS 1868 Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General) Shalene Curtis-Micallef

(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)

Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Associate Minister of National Defence)

Stefanie Beck

(Deputy Minister)

General Jennie Carignan (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) Michael Vandergrift

(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 Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs)

Harjit Sajjan (Minister of Emergency Preparedness)

Rob Stewart (Deputy Minister)
Agency
Enforcement agencies
Intelligence agency
Review bodies
Public Services and Procurement PSPC 1996 Jean-Yves Duclos (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 Pablo Rodriguez (Minister of Transport) Arun Thangaraj

(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 Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Minister of Veterans Affairs) Peter Ledwell (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Review bodies
Women and Gender Equality WAGE 2018

1976 (historic)

Marci Ien (Minister for Women and 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 Eric Kenny
Royal Canadian Navy RCN 1910 Angus Topshee
Canadian Forces Military Police CFMP 1917 Simon Trudeau

Parliament

Main article: Parliament of Canada

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

Main article: Court system of Canada

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.