Minister of National Defence (Canada): Difference between revisions

{{{post}}}
{{{post}}}
	Incumbent; Peter MacKay; since 14 August 2007
Website	www.forces.gc.ca

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 23:21, 24 May 2012

The Minister of National Defence (French: Ministre de la Défense nationale) is a Minister of the Crown and is the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the management and direction of all matters relating to national defence and the Canadian Forces.^[1] The Department of National Defence is headed by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, the Department’s senior civil servant, while the Canadian Forces are headed by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Canada’s senior serving officer.^[2] Both are responsible to the Minister. Although the Governor General of Canada is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces, the minister is ultimately responsible for "the management and direction of the Canadian Forces", while all orders and instructions are issued by the Chief of the Defence Staff.^[3] The Department of National Defence exists to aid the minister in carrying out his responsibilities, and acts as the civilian support system for the Canadian Forces.^[4]^[5]

The current Minister of National Defence is The Honourable Peter MacKay.

History

Historically, the position was pre-dated by the Minister of Militia and Defence. During World War II, the Minister of National Defence was assisted by two subordinate ministers, the Minister of National Defence for Air and Minister of National Defence for Naval Services. The portfolio was merged into a single ministry following the end of the war.

The Defence Portfolio

The Defence portfolio for the Minister of National Defence includes:^[6]

Department of National Defence

Canadian Forces
The Office of the Legal Advisor to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF LA)
National Search and Rescue Secretariat
Defence Research and Development Canada
Communications Security Establishment

Cadets Canada and Junior Canadian Rangers

The Minister of National Defence is also the designated Lead Minister for Search and Rescue (LMSAR) within the federal government.

Ministers

Key:

Liberal Party of Canada

Historical conservative parties: Liberal-Conservative, Conservative (historical), Unionist, National Liberal and Conservative, Progressive Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada

No.	Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 1	George Perry Graham	January 1, 1923	April 27, 1923	Liberal	12 (King)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 2	Edward Mortimer Macdonald	April 28, 1923 (Acting until Aug.17)	June 28, 1926	Liberal	12 (King)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 3	Hugh Guthrie	June 29, 1926 (Acting until Jul.13)	September 25, 1926	Conservative (historical)	13 (Meighen)
–	VACANT	September 25, 1926	September 30, 1926	—	14 (King)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| –	James Robb (Acting)	October 1, 1926	October 7, 1926	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 4	James Ralston (1st time)	October 8, 1926	August 7, 1930	Liberal
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 5	Donald Matheson Sutherland	August 7, 1930	November 16, 1934	Conservative (historical)	15 (Bennett)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 6	Grote Stirling	November 17, 1934	October 23, 1935	Conservative (historical)	15 (Bennett)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 7	Ian Alistair Mackenzie	October 24, 1935	September 18, 1939	Liberal	16 (King)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 8	Norman McLeod Rogers	September 19, 1939	June 10, 1940	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| –	Charles Power (Acting)	June 11, 1940	July 4, 1940	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| (4)	James Ralston (2nd time)	July 5, 1940	November 1, 1944	Liberal
9	Andrew McNaughton	November 2, 1944	August 20, 1945	Military
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 10	Douglas Abbott	August 21, 1945	December 9, 1946	Liberal
rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 11	Brooke Claxton	December 10, 1946	November 15, 1948	Liberal
November 15, 1948	Brooke Claxton	June 30, 1954	17 (St. Laurent)	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 12	Ralph Campney	July 1, 1954	17 (St. Laurent)	June 20, 1957	Liberal
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 13	George Pearkes	June 21, 1957	October 10, 1960	Progressive Conservative	18 (Diefenbaker)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 14	Douglas Harkness	October 11, 1960	February 3, 1963	Progressive Conservative
–	VACANT	February 4, 1963	February 11, 1963	—
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 15	Gordon Churchill	February 12, 1963	April 21, 1963	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 16	Paul Hellyer	April 22, 1963	September 18, 1967	Liberal	19 (Pearson)
rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 17	Léo Cadieux	September 1967	April 19, 1968	Liberal	19 (Pearson)
April 20, 1968	Léo Cadieux	September 16, 1970	20 (Trudeau)	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| –	Charles Drury (1st time; Acting)	September 17, 1970		September 23, 1970	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 18	Donald Macdonald	September 24, 1970		January 27, 1972	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 19	Edgar Benson	January 28, 1972		August 31, 1972	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| –	Jean-Eudes Dubé (Acting)	September 1, 1972		September 6, 1972	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| –	Charles Drury (2nd time; Acting)	September 7, 1972		November 26, 1972	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 20	James Richardson	November 27, 1972		October 12, 1976	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 21	Barney Danson	October 13, 1976 (Acting until Nov.3)		June 3, 1979	Liberal
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 22	Allan McKinnon	June 4, 1979	March 2, 1980	Progressive Conservative	21 (Clark)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 23	Gilles Lamontagne	March 3, 1980	August 11, 1983	Liberal	22 (Trudeau)
rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 24	Jean–Jacques Blais	August 12, 1983	June 29, 1984	Liberal	22 (Trudeau)
June 30, 1984	Jean–Jacques Blais	September 16, 1984	23 (Turner)	Liberal
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 25	Robert Coates	September 17, 1984	February 11, 1985	Progressive Conservative	24 (Mulroney)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 26	Erik Nielsen	February 12, 1985 (Acting until Feb.26)	June 29, 1986	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 27	Perrin Beatty	June 30, 1986	January 29, 1989	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 28	Bill McKnight	January 30, 1989	April 20, 1991	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 29	Marcel Masse	April 21, 1991	January 3, 1993	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 30	Kim Campbell	January 4, 1993	June 24, 1993	Progressive Conservative
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada (historical)/meta/color;"\| 31	Tom Siddon	June 25, 1993	November 3, 1993	Progressive Conservative	25 (Campbell)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 32	David Collenette	November 4, 1993	October 4, 1996	Liberal	26 (Chrétien)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 33	Doug Young	October 5, 1996	June 10, 1997	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 34	Art Eggleton	June 11, 1997	June 25, 2002	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 35	John McCallum	June 26, 2002	December 11, 2003	Liberal
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 36	David Pratt	December 12, 2003	July 19, 2004	Liberal	27 (Martin)
style="background:Template:Liberal Party of Canada/meta/color; color:white"\| 37	Bill Graham	July 20, 2004	February 5, 2006	Liberal	27 (Martin)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada/meta/color;"\| 38	Gordon O'Connor	February 6, 2006	August 14, 2007	Conservative	28 (Harper)
style="background:Template:Conservative Party of Canada/meta/color;"\| 39	Peter MacKay	August 14, 2007	Incumbent	Conservative	28 (Harper)

Ministers with military experience

Colonel James Ralston, Canadian Army; commander (Lieutenant Colonel) of the 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalion, CEF
General Andrew McNaughton, 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, Canadian Expeditionary Force, commander of the Canadian Corps, Canadian Militia/Permanent Active Militia and Canadian Army
Battery Sergeant-Major Brooke Claxton, Victoria Rifles of Canada
Major General George Pearkes, Canadian Expeditionary Force, commander of the Canadian Corps, Canadian Militia and Canadian Army
Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Harkness, Royal Canadian Artillery, Canadian Army
Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Churchill, Vickers Machine Gunner, Canadian Expeditionary Force; commander of the Fort Garry Horse and commanding officer of the 1st Canadian Carrier Regiment (Canada Corps)
Brigadier General Charles Drury, commanding officer 4th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery, General Staff Officer of the 2nd Canadian Division and acting commander of the Royal Artillery 4th Canadian Division (Canadian Army)
Lieutenant Barney Danson, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
Pilot Officer James Armstrong Richardson, Liberator anti-submarine patrol squadron of the RCAF
Major Allan Bruce McKinnon, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Flight Lieutenant Gilles Lamontagne, bomber pilot RCAF
Brigadier General Gordon O'Connor, Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, Canadian Army

References

^ "Laws Defining Responsibilities and Authorities of National Defence". Department of National Defence. March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ "About DND - What is the relationship between DND and the Canadian Forces?". Department of National Defence. February 01, 2012. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ National Defence Act. Ottawa: Her Majesty the Queen as represented by the Minister of Justice. 2011. pp. 8, 12.
^ "FAQ - What is the relationship between DND and the CF?". Department of National Defence. February 13, 2012. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ "Civilians Supporting the Army". Department of National Defence. August 05, 2011. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ "The Defence Portfolio". Department of National Defence. August 05, 2011. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

External links

National Defence and Canadian Forces

[1] "Laws Defining Responsibilities and Authorities of National Defence". Department of National Defence. March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[2] "About DND - What is the relationship between DND and the Canadian Forces?". Department of National Defence. February 01, 2012. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[3] National Defence Act. Ottawa: Her Majesty the Queen as represented by the Minister of Justice. 2011. pp. 8, 12.

[4] "FAQ - What is the relationship between DND and the CF?". Department of National Defence. February 13, 2012. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[5] "Civilians Supporting the Army". Department of National Defence. August 05, 2011. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[6] "The Defence Portfolio". Department of National Defence. August 05, 2011. Retrieved March 08, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]