Secretary of state (Canada)

This article is about the generic usage of the title "secretary of state" by the Canadian government from 1993 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2008. For the Canadian cabinet position extant from 1867 to 1996, see Secretary of State for Canada.
Not to be confused with Parliamentary secretary, Secretary of State for External Affairs (Canada), or Secretary of State for the Provinces.

In Canada from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2008, secretary of state was a title given to junior ministers of state in the Government of Canada that sat outside Cabinet.[1] Because it was a position that was assigned to assist Cabinet ministers, a secretary of state was legally a minister of state;[citation needed] the distinction is that, unlike a minister, a secretary is not a full cabinet portfolio itself and thus not considered a member of Cabinet. (They were hence considered junior to ministers of state.) The Secretary of State (Training and Youth), for instance, would assist the Minister for Human Resources and Development. This usage is opposite to that in the United Kingdom, where junior ministers generally report to more senior secretaries of state. Secretaries of state were, however, members of the ministry and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

This generic usage should not be confused with the former cabinet positions of Secretary of State for Canada (1867–1996), Secretary of State for the Provinces (1867–1873), and Secretary of State for External Affairs (1909–1995).

  1. ^ Forsey, Eugene. [1980] 2016. "Parliamentary Government." Ch. 1 in How Canadians Govern Themselves (9th ed.). Ottawa, ON: Library of Parliament.