28th Canadian Ministry

The Twenty-Eighth Canadian Ministry is the combined Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Secretaries of State that have governed Canada since the beginning of the 39th Parliament. Its members were sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on February 6, 2006, exactly two weeks after the 2006 election, and nine weeks and six days after the end of the 38th Canadian Parliament. Smaller than its recent predecessors, the Conservative Cabinet currently consists of 27 members, including the prime minister. On January 4, 2007 five Secretaries of State were added to the ministry who are not members of the Cabinet itself.

Only 24 of the original members were elected to serve as Conservative Members of Parliament (MP) in 2006; Senator Marjory LeBreton is the Leader of the Government in the Senate. The other two choices that raised some controversy were David Emerson, who was elected as a Liberal, but crossed the floor between the election and the swearing-in of the Cabinet to serve as Minister of International Trade, of the Pacific Gateway, and of the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, and Michael Fortier, a Montreal-area member of the former Progressive Conservatives and co-chair of the Conservatives' 2006 federal campaign, who was not elected as an MP but was named a Senator on February 27, 2006, and is serving as Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

The reason given for the appointments of Emerson and Fortier was that the Conservatives were completely shut out of the three most populous cities in Canada - Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The Liberals were the only party to win seats in all three, with the Bloc represented in Montreal and the NDP in Toronto and Vancouver. Emerson's riding is Vancouver Kingsway, and Fortier lives and works in the Montreal-Laval area, and ran for the riding of Laval West for the Tories in 2000. The only major city this leaves out is Toronto, although the Conservatives have indicated that they consider that enough Cabinet Ministers are from the Greater Toronto Area, including Jim Flaherty and Bev Oda, to adequately represent the city in Cabinet.

Contrary to precedent, Harper did not name a Deputy Prime Minister, confounding rumours that Quebec lieutenant Lawrence Cannon or Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay might be awarded the honorary post. Harper's explanation was that, instead, any replacement Prime Minister would be named as required and this assignment could be conferred upon different ministers.

List of Ministers

Note: This is in Order of Precedence, which is established by the chronological order of appointment to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, then in order of election or appointment to parliament if for ministers who joined the Privy Council on the same day.

* Stephen Harper
** Prime Minister February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Robert Douglas Nicholson
** Leader of the Government in the House of Commons February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister for Democratic Reform February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister of Justice and Attorney-General January 4, 2007 - "present"
* David Emerson
** Minister of International Trade February 6, 2006 - June 25, 2008
** Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics February 6, 2006 - June 25, 2008
** Minister of Foreign Affairs May 26, 2008 - "present"
* Jean-Pierre Blackburn
** Minister of Labour February 6, 2006 - "present"
** Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Gregory Francis Thompson
** Minister of Veterans Affairs February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Marjory LeBreton
** Leader of the Government in the Senate February 6, 2006 - "present"
** Secretary of State for Seniors January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Monte Solberg
** Minister of Citizenship and Immigration February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister of Human Resources and Social Development January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Charles "Chuck" Strahl
** Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development August 14, 2007 - "present"
** Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians August 14, 2007 - "present"
* Gary Lunn
** Minister of Natural Resources February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Peter Gordon MacKay
** Minister of Foreign Affairs February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency February 6, 2006 - "present"
** Minister of National Defence August 14, 2007 - "present"
* Loyola Hearn
** Minister of Fisheries and Oceans February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Stockwell Burt Day
** Minister of Public Safety February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Carol Skelton
** Minister of National Revenue February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
* Vic Toews
** Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** President of the Treasury Board January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Rona Ambrose
** Minister of the Environment February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada January 4, 2007 - "present"
** Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs January 4, 2007 - "present"
** Minister of Western Economic Diversification January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Michael Chong
** President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada February 6, 2006 - November 27, 2006
** Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs February 6, 2006 - November 27, 2006
** Secretary of State for Sport February 6, 2006 - November 27, 2006
* Diane Finley
** Minister of Human Resources February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Social Development February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister of Citizenship and Immigration January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Gordon O'Connor
** Minister of National Defence February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of National Revenue August 14, 2007 - "present"
* Bev Oda
** Minister of Canadian Heritage February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Status of Women February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of International Cooperation August 14, 2007 - "present"
* Jim Prentice
** Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of Industry August 14, 2007 - "present"
* John Baird
** President of the Treasury Board February 6, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister of the Environment January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Maxime Bernier
** Minister of Industry February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of Foreign Affairs August 14, 2007 - May 26, 2008
* Lawrence Cannon
** Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Tony Clement
** Minister of Health February 6, 2006 - "present"
** Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
* James Michael "Jim" Flaherty
** Minister of Finance February 6, 2006 - "present"
* Josée Verner
** Minister of International Cooperation February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister for La Francophonie February 6, 2006 - August 14, 2007
** Minister responsible for Official Languages February 6, 2006 - "present"
** Minister of Canadian Heritage August 14, 2007 - "present"
** Status of Women August 14, 2007 - "present"
** Minister for La Francophonie May 26, 2008 - "present"
* Michael Fortier
** Minister of Public Works and Government Services February 6, 2006 - June 25, 2008
** Minister of International Trade June 25, 2008 - "present"
* Peter Van Loan
** President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada November 27, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs November 27, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Minister for Sport November 27, 2006 - January 3, 2007
** Leader of the Government in the House of Commons January 4, 2007 - "present"
** Minister for Democratic Reform January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Gerry Ritz
** Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism January 4, 2007 - August 14, 2007
** Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food August 14, 2007 - "present"
** Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board August 14, 2007 - "present"
* Christian Paradis
** Minister of Public Works and Government Services June 25, 2008 - "present"
** Secretary of State for Agriculture January 4, 2007 - "present"

Members of the Ministry outside of the Cabinet

* Jay Hill
** Chief Government Whip and Secretary of State January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Jason Kenney
** Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Helena Guergis
** Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade January 4, 2007 - "present"
** Secretary of State for Sport January 4, 2007 - "present"
* Diane Ablonczy
** Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism August 14, 2007 - "present"
* James Moore
** Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Gateway, Vancouver-Whistler Olympics and Official Languages

Provincial Breakdown

Cabinet MinistersConservative Members of Parliament

ee also

*List of Canadian Parliamentary Secretaries

References

*Cite web|title=Order of Precedence: Current List|work=The Ministry|author=Government of Canada|publisher=Library of Parliament|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/curmin.asp?lang=E&param=P|date=2006-11-27|accessdate=2006-12-02