The minister of transport () is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The minister is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Nav Canada, and the Port Authority system. Since September 16, 2025, the position has been held by Steven MacKinnon of the Liberal Party.

History The Constitution Act, 1867 under section 92(10) established federal responsibility for land and sea transportation between provinces and internationally. Most transportation duties and powers were placed under the minister of public works, with responsibilities for ports and harbours going to the minister of marine and fisheries. In 1879, the Department of Public Works was divided in two, with powers and duties over rail and inland sea transport going to the newly formed minister of railways and canals. The minister of railways and canals was one of the most important cabinet posts because of the importance of railways to the economic development of Canada, with three prime ministers assuming the position either before or during their premiership.

In Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's third cabinet in 1935, C. D. Howe was appointed to both the minister of railways and canals and the minister of marine, which was a short-lived position split from the minister of marine and fisheries in 1930. The office of Minister of Transport was created by Mackenzie King in 1936, which was formally a successor to the minister of railways and canals, and C. D. Howe was appointed as the first Minister of Transport.

From 2006 to 2013, the position was styled 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.Technically it was assigned to the President of the Privy Council, which also had responsibility for intergovernmental affairs. http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oic-ddc.asp?lang=eng&txtToDate=2013-07-15&txtPrecis=&Page=&txtOICID=&txtAct=&txtBillNo=&txtFromDate=2013-07-15&txtDepartment=&txtChapterNo=&txtChapterYear=&rdoComingIntoForce=&DoSearch=Search+/+List&pg=2&viewattach=28125&blnDisplayFlg=1

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.

Portfolio

In addition to Transport Canada, the minister of transport is responsible for overseeing 55 other entities, the majority of which are port authorities and airport authorities:

Transport Canada Shared governance organizations: 18 port authorities 21 airport authorities Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority Nav Canada St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation Crown corporations: Atlantic Pilotage Authority Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Federal Bridge Corporation Great Lakes Pilotage Authority Laurentian Pilotage Authority Marine Atlantic Pacific Pilotage Authority Via Rail Alto Other entities: Canadian Transportation Agency Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund The Fund for Railway Accidents Involving Designated Goods Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada

Minister of Railways and Canals (1879–1936)

Key:

PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical partyMinistry Sir Charles Tupper 20 May 1879 28 May 1884 Liberal-Conservative 3 (Macdonald) John Henry Pope (acting) 29 May 1884 24 September 1885 Liberal-Conservative John Henry Pope 25 September 1885 1 April 1889 Liberal-Conservative vacant 2 April 1889 9 April 1889 – John A. Macdonald (acting) 10 April 1889 27 November 1889 Liberal-Conservative John A. Macdonald 28 November 1889 6 June 1891 Liberal-Conservative vacant 7 June 1891 16 June 1891 – 4 (Abbott) Mackenzie Bowell (acting) 17 June 1891 10 January 1892 Conservative (historical) John Graham Haggart 11 January 1892 4 December 1892 Conservative (historical) 5 December 1892 20 December 1894 5 (Thompson) 21 December 1894 5 January 1896 6 (Bowell) Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (acting) 6 January 1896 14 January 1896 Conservative (historical) John Graham Haggart 15 January 1896 30 April 1896 Conservative (historical) 1 May 1896 8 July 1896 7 (Tupper) vacant 6 January 1896 14 January 1896 – 8 (Laurier) Andrew George Blair 20 July 1896 20 July 1903 Liberal William Stevens Fielding (acting) 21 July 1903 14 January 1904 Liberal Henry Emmerson 15 January 1904 2 April 1907 Liberal vacant 3 April 1907 8 April 1907 – William Stevens Fielding (acting) 9 April 1907 29 August 1907 Liberal George Perry Graham 30 August 1907 10 October 1911 Liberal Francis Cochrane 10 October 1911 12 October 1917 Conservative (historical) 9 (Borden) John Dowsley Reid 12 October 1917 9 July 1920 Unionist 10 (Borden) 10 July 1920 20 September 1921 11 (Meighen) John Alexander Stewart 21 September 1921 29 December 1921 Unionist William Costello Kennedy 29 December 1921 18 January 1923 Liberal 12 (King) vacant 19 January 1923 27 April 1923 – George Perry Graham 28 April 1923 19 February 1926 Liberal vacant 20 February 1926 28 February 1926 – Charles Avery Dunning 1 March 1926 28 June 1926 Liberal Henry Lumley Drayton (acting) 29 June 1926 12 July 1926 Conservative (historical) 13 (Meighen) William Anderson Black (acting) 13 July 1926 25 September 1926 Conservative (historical) Charles Avery Dunning 25 September 1926 25 November 1929 Liberal 14 (King) Charles Avery Dunning (acting) 26 November 1929 29 December 1929 Liberal Thomas Crerar 30 December 1929 7 August 1930 Liberal Robert James Manion 7 August 1930 23 October 1935 Conservative (historical) 15 (Bennett) C. D. Howe 23 October 1935 1 November 1936 Liberal 16 (King) Railways and Canals portfolio moved to Minister of Transport.

Minister of Marine (1930–1936)

Key:

PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical partyMinistry Arthur Cardin 14 June 1930 7 August 1930 Liberal 14 (King) Alfred Duranleau 7 August 1930 19 July 1935 Conservative (historical)15 (Bennett) vacant 20 July 1935 29 August 1935 — Lucien Henri Gendron 30 August 1935 23 October 1935 Conservative (historical) C. D. Howe 23 October 1935 1 November 1936 Liberal 16 (King) Marine portfolio moved to Minister of Transport.

Minister of Transport (1936–present)

Key:

PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical partyMinistryMinister of Transport C. D. Howe 2 November 1936 7 July 1940 Liberal16 (King) Arthur Cardin 8 July 1940 12 May 1942 Liberal C. D. Howe (acting) 13 May 1942 5 October 1942 Liberal Joseph-Enoil Michaud 6 October 1942 17 April 1945 LiberalLionel Chevrier 18 April 1945 14 November 1948Liberal 15 November 1948 30 June 195417 (St. Laurent) George Carlyle Marler 1 July 1954 20 June 1957 Liberal George Hees 21 June 1957 10 October 1960 Progressive Conservative18 (Diefenbaker) Léon Balcer 11 October 1960 21 April 1963 Progressive Conservative George McIlraith 22 April 1963 2 February 1964 Liberal19 (Pearson) Jack Pickersgill 3 February 1964 18 September 1967 Liberal Paul Hellyer 19 September 1967 19 April 1968Liberal 20 April 1968 29 April 196920 (P. E. Trudeau) James Armstrong Richardson (acting) 30 April 1969 4 May 1969 Liberal Don Jamieson 5 May 1969 26 November 1972 Liberal Jean Marchand 27 November 1972 25 September 1975 Liberal Otto Lang 26 September 1975 3 June 1979 Liberal Don Mazankowski 4 June 1979 2 March 1980 Progressive Conservative 21 (Clark) Jean-Luc Pépin 3 March 1980 11 August 1983 Liberal22 (P. E. Trudeau)Lloyd Axworthy 12 August 1983 29 June 1984Liberal 30 June 1984 16 September 1984 23 (Turner) Don Mazankowski (2nd time) 17 September 1984 29 June 1986 Progressive Conservative24 (Mulroney) John Crosbie 30 June 1986 30 March 1988 Progressive Conservative Benoît Bouchard 31 March 1988 22 February 1990 Progressive Conservative Doug Lewis 23 February 1990 20 April 1991 Progressive ConservativeJean Corbeil 21 April 1991 24 June 1993Progressive Conservative 25 June 1993 3 November 1993 25 (Campbell) Doug Young 4 November 1993 24 January 1996 Liberal26 (Chrétien) David Anderson 25 January 1996 10 June 1997 Liberal David Collenette 11 June 1997 11 December 2003 Liberal Tony Valeri 12 December 2003 19 July 2004 Liberal27 (Martin) Jean Lapierre 20 July 2004 5 February 2006 LiberalMinister of Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities Lawrence Cannon 6 February 2006 30 October 2008 Conservative28 (Harper) John Baird 30 October 2008 6 August 2010 Conservative Chuck Strahl 6 August 2010 18 May 2011 Conservative Denis Lebel 18 May 2011 15 July 2013 ConservativeMinister of Transport Lisa Raitt 15 July 2013 4 November 2015 Conservative28 (Harper) Marc Garneau 4 November 2015 12 January 2021 Liberal29 (J. Trudeau) Omar Alghabra 12 January 2021 26 July 2023 Liberal Pablo Rodriguez 26 July 2023 19 September 2024 Liberal Anita Anand 19 September 2024 20 December 2024 LiberalMinister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand 20 December 2024 14 March 2025 Liberal29 (J. Trudeau) Chrystia Freeland 14 March 2025 16 September 2025 Liberal30 (Carney)Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon 16 September 2025 Incumbent Liberal30 (Carney)

See also Infrastructure and Communities

References