Style The Honourable Inaugural holder C.D. Howe | Member of Cabinet
Privy Council Formation 2 November 1936 | |
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Appointer Governor General of Canada Term length At Her Majesty's pleasure | ||
The Minister of Transport (French: Ministre des Transports) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada, as well as Canada Post, the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Port Authority system.
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History
The post was created by Prime Minister Mackenzie King in 1936, replacing the Minister of Railways and Canals.
From 2006 to 2013, the position was styled the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, a name change corresponding with responsibility for Infrastructure Canada being transferred to the portfolio at that time. "Minister of Transport" remained the title for legal purposes.
With the Cabinet shuffle of July 15, 2013, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio was separated from Transport and assigned to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In 2015 it became an independent portfolio titled Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
Transport Canada used to manage most of Canada's major airports, but in the 1990s, most airports were off-loaded to non-profit private airport authorities. The department is now responsible for transportation safety, appointments to Boards of Governors, and regulation management.
As of November 2015, the Minister of Transport is Marc Garneau.
Ministers of Transport
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