Deputy Minister (Canada)

:"For the Thoroughbred racehorse see: Deputy Minister (horse).

In Canada, a Deputy Minister is the senior civil servant in a government department and assists the Minister assigned responsibility for the department in day-to-day operations. The Deputy Minister is the functional head of the department in question while the Minister is the department's political master. Deputy Ministers serve at the pleasure of the government, and can lose their positions as a result of a change in the party in power, particularly if they are seen as too closely identified with the policies of the previous government. [Jackson, Robert J. and Doreen Jackson. "Politics in Canada: Culture, Institutions, Behavior and Public Policy". 6th ed. (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2006). p355.]

The Canadian position of Deputy Minister is equivalent to the British position of Permanent Secretary (made famous in the television satire "Yes Minister") and the Australian position of Departmental Secretary.

The most senior deputy minister is the Clerk of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada who is also Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister of Canada. This should not be confused with the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Canada who is not a deputy minister at all but a politician and senior member of the Cabinet. The Australian equivalent is the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the British equivalent is the Cabinet Secretary (made famous in the television satire "Yes, Prime Minister").

There are several individuals who have deputy minister rank and are known by other titles such as president, secretary or commissioner.

Provincial governments also have deputy ministers who serve the same function as their federal counterparts.

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/related/Federal/DepMin.asp?lang=E Departmental Deputy Ministers (current list)]

References