The minister of national defence (MND; ) is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada 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 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 (represented by the governor general of Canada) 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, to Parliament 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 his responsibilities, and acts as the civilian support system for the Canadian Forces.
The current minister of national defence is David McGuinty. The parliamentary secretary, who represents the minister when he is away from the House of Commons, is Sherry Romanado.
History On January 1, 1923, the National Defence Act, 1922 came into effect, merging the Department of Militia and Defence, 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 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, 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; 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 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's first national political sex scandal 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 for its activities. The Defence Portfolio includes:
Canadian Armed Forces Canadian Coast Guard 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:
No.PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical partyMinistry 1 George Perry Graham January 1, 1923 April 27, 1923 Liberal12 (King) 2 Edward Mortimer Macdonald April 28, 1923(Acting until Aug.17) June 28, 1926 Liberal 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) – James Robb(Acting) October 1, 1926 October 7, 1926 Liberal 4 James Ralston(1st time) October 8, 1926 August 7, 1930 Liberal 5 Donald Matheson Sutherland August 7, 1930 November 16, 1934 Conservative (historical)15 (Bennett) 6 Grote Stirling November 17, 1934 October 23, 1935 Conservative (historical) 7 Ian Alistair Mackenzie October 24, 1935 September 18, 1939 Liberal16 (King) 8 Norman McLeod Rogers September 19, 1939 June 10, 1940 Liberal – Charles Power(Acting) June 11, 1940 July 4, 1940 Liberal (4) James Ralston(2nd time) July 5, 1940 November 1, 1944 Liberal 9 Andrew McNaughton November 2, 1944 August 20, 1945 Military 10 Douglas Abbott August 21, 1945 December 9, 1946 Liberal 11 Brooke Claxton December 10, 1946 November 15, 1948Liberal November 15, 1948 June 30, 195417 (St. Laurent) 12 Ralph Campney July 1, 1954 June 20, 1957 Liberal 13 George Pearkes June 21, 1957 October 10, 1960 Progressive Conservative18 (Diefenbaker) 14 Douglas Harkness October 11, 1960 February 3, 1963 Progressive Conservative – Vacant February 4, 1963 February 11, 1963 — 15 Gordon Churchill February 12, 1963 April 21, 1963 Progressive Conservative 16 Paul Hellyer April 22, 1963 September 18, 1967 Liberal19 (Pearson) 17 Léo Cadieux September 18, 1967 April 19, 1968 Liberal April 20, 1968 September 16, 197020 (P. E. Trudeau) – Charles Drury(1st time; Acting) September 17, 1970 September 23, 1970 Liberal 18 Donald Macdonald September 24, 1970 January 27, 1972 Liberal 19 Edgar Benson January 28, 1972 August 31, 1972 Liberal – Jean-Eudes Dubé(Acting) September 1, 1972 September 6, 1972 Liberal – Charles Drury(2nd time; Acting) September 7, 1972 November 26, 1972 Liberal 20 James Richardson November 27, 1972 October 12, 1976 Liberal 21 Barney Danson October 13, 1976(Acting until Nov.3) June 3, 1979 Liberal 22 Allan McKinnon June 4, 1979 March 2, 1980 Progressive Conservative 21 (Clark) 23 Gilles Lamontagne March 3, 1980 August 11, 1983 Liberal22 (P. E. Trudeau) 24 Jean–Jacques Blais August 12, 1983 June 29, 1984Liberal June 30, 1984 September 16, 1984 23 (Turner) 25 Robert Coates September 17, 1984 February 11, 1985 Progressive Conservative24 (Mulroney) 26 Erik Nielsen February 12, 1985(Acting until Feb.26) June 29, 1986 Progressive Conservative 27 Perrin Beatty June 30, 1986 January 29, 1989 Progressive Conservative 28 Bill McKnight January 30, 1989 April 20, 1991 Progressive Conservative 29 Marcel Masse April 21, 1991 January 3, 1993 Progressive Conservative 30 Kim Campbell January 4, 1993 June 24, 1993 Progressive Conservative 31 Tom Siddon June 25, 1993 November 3, 1993 Progressive Conservative 25 (Campbell) 32 David Collenette November 4, 1993 October 4, 1996 Liberal26 (Chrétien) 33 Doug Young October 5, 1996 June 10, 1997 Liberal 34 Art Eggleton June 11, 1997 June 25, 2002 Liberal 35 John McCallum June 26, 2002 December 11, 2003 Liberal 36 David Pratt December 12, 2003 July 19, 2004 Liberal27 (Martin) 37 Bill Graham July 20, 2004 February 5, 2006 Liberal 38 Gordon O'Connor February 6, 2006 August 14, 2007 Conservative28 (Harper) 39 Peter MacKay August 14, 2007 July 15, 2013 Conservative40 Rob Nicholson July 15, 2013 February 9, 2015 Conservative41 Jason Kenney February 9, 2015 November 4, 2015 Conservative 42 Harjit Sajjan November 4, 2015 October 26, 2021 Liberal29 (J. Trudeau) 43 Anita Anand October 26, 2021 July 26, 2023 Liberal 44 Bill Blair July 26, 2023 March 14, 2025 Liberal March 14, 2025 May 13, 2025 30 (Carney) 45 David McGuinty May 13, 2025 Incumbent Liberal
Ministers with military experience Name Rank Branch Position (if applicable) / Unit(s) James Ralston Colonel Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) Commanding Officer, 85th (Nova Scotia Highlanders) Battalion, CEF Donald Matheson Sutherland Lieutenant Colonel CEF Officer Commanding, 52nd Battalion (New Ontario) and A Company 1st Battalion, Major, A Squadron 24th Regiment Grey's Horse Andrew McNaughton General CEF / Canadian Militia / Permanent Active Militia Commanding Officer, 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles and Canadian Corps Ralph Campney Lieutenant CEF / Canadian Army / Royal Flying Corps No.5 Stationary or General Hospital (Queen's), Commissioned Officer, 19th Canadian Infantry Battalion Norman McLeod Rogers Lieutenant CEF 6th Nova Scotia Mounted Rifles Charles Gavan Power Acting Major CEF Canadian Corps Brooke Claxton Battery Sergeant-Major Victoria Rifles of Canada George Pearkes Major General CEF / Canadian Militia and Canadian Army Commanding Officer, Canadian Corps Douglas Harkness Lieutenant Colonel Canadian Army Royal Canadian Artillery Gordon Churchill Lieutenant Colonel CEF Vickers Machine Gunner, Commanding Officer Fort Garry Horse and 1st Canadian Carrier Regiment (Canadian Corps) Paul Hellyer Gunner Canadian Army Royal Canadian Artillery Charles Drury Brigadier General Canadian Army 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 Edgar Benson Sergeant Canadian Corps (Canadian Army) 1st Survey Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery Barney Danson Lieutenant Canadian Army The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada James Armstrong Richardson Pilot Officer RCAF Consolidated Liberator anti-submarine patrol squadron of the (No. 10 Squadron RCAF) Allan McKinnon Major Canadian Army Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Gilles Lamontagne Flight Lieutenant RCAF bomber pilot No. 425 Bomber Squadron Erik Nielsen Pilot Officer (RAF) / Adjutant (RCAF) Royal Flying Corps / RCAF 101 Squadron and 126 Squadron; RCAF Legal Officer Gordon O'Connor Brigadier General Canadian Army Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Harjit Sajjan Lieutenant Colonel Canadian Army The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own), Royal Canadian Armoured Corps
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.
See also Minister of Overseas Military Forces – communications channel for the MMD and British War Office in matters relating to Canadian military units from 1916 to 1920
References
External links National Defence and Canadian Forces