Structure of the Canadian federal government

The following list outlines the structure of the federal government of Canada, the collective set of federal institutions which can be grouped into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In turn, these are further divided into departments, agencies, and other organizations which support the day-to-day function of the Canadian state.

The list includes roughly 130 departments and other organizations, with nearly 300,000 employees, who collectively form the Public Service of Canada. Special Operating Agencies (which are departmental organizations), and non-departmental organizations such as Crown corporations, administrative tribunals, and oversight organizations are parts of the public service operating in areas seen as requiring a higher level of independence from it and the direct political control of ministers. Public servants are agents of the Crown and responsible to Parliament through their relevant minister.

This list is organized according to functional grouping and is further subdivided by category such as offices, departments, agencies, and Crown corporations:

The Crown

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Regal and vice-regal offices

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King's Privy Council

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Executive

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Public Service

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Central agencies

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Ministerial departments

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Department Abbreviation Established Ministers Deputy heads Associated entities
Agriculture and Agri-Food AAFC 1868 Heath MacDonald (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food) Lawrence Hanson

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Special Operating Agency
Crown corporations
Review Body
Canadian Heritage PCH 1993 Marc Miller (Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture) Francis Bilodeau[1]

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Special Operating Agencies
Crown corporations
Regulator
Review Body
  • Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs CIRNAC 2019

1880 (historic)

Rebecca Alty (Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations)

Rebecca Chartrand (Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs)

Valerie Gideon

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
  • Cree-Naskapi Commission
  • Nunavut Wildlife Management Board
Crown corporation
  • Corporation for the Mitigation of Mackenzie Gas Project Impacts
Departmental corporation
Employment and Social Development ESDC 2003 Patty Hajdu (Minister of Jobs and Families) Paul Thompson

(Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development)

Rob Wright (Deputy Minister of Labour; Associate Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development)

Agencies
Programs
Joint Program
Crown Corporation
Review Bodies
Environment and Climate Change ECCC 1971 Julie Dabrusin (Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature) Mollie Johnson[2]

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Enforcement Agency
  • Parks Canada Wardens
  • Environmental Enforcement
  • Wildlife Enforcement
Review body
  • Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada
Fisheries and Oceans DFO 1868 Joanne Thompson (Minister of Fisheries) Paul MacKinnon

(Deputy Minister)

Enforcement Agency
  • Fishery Officers
Special Operating Agency
Crown Corporation
  • Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation
Global Affairs GAC 1909 Anita Anand (Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Maninder Sidhu (Minister of International Trade)

Arun Thangaraj (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Glenn Purves (Deputy Minister of International Trade)

Cynthia Termorshuizen (Deputy Minister of International Development)

Agencies
Crown corporations
Review body
  • Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
Health HC 1993

1919 (historic)

Marjorie Michel (Minister of Health) Shalene Curtis-Micallef (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Funding Agency
Regulator
Review Body
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities HICC 2002 Gregor Robertson (Minister of Housing and Infrastructure) Paul Halucha (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Crown corporations
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship IRCC 1994 Lena Diab (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship) Ted Gallivan (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
  • Citizenship Commission
Programs
Review Body
Indigenous Services ISC 2019 Mandy Gull-Masty (Minister of Indigenous Services) Michelle Kovacevic (Deputy Minister)
Special Operating Agency
  • Indian Oil and Gas
Review Body
  • Specific Claims Tribunal
Innovation, Science and Economic Development ISED 1993 Mélanie Joly (Minister of Industry)

Evan Solomon (Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation)

Philip Jennings (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Funding agencies
Regional Economic Development Agencies
  • Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  • Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
  • Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
  • Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
  • Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
  • Pacific Economic Development Canada
  • Prairies Economic Development Canada
Enforcement agency
Special Operating Agencies
Crown corporations
Non-profit organizations
Regulator
Review Body
Justice JUS 1868 Sean Fraser (Minister of Justice and Attorney General) Marie-Josée Hogue

(Deputy Minister and Deputy Attorney General)

Agencies
Review body
  • Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
National Defence DND 1923 David McGuinty (Minister of National Defence) Christiane Fox

(Deputy Minister)

General Jennie Carignan (Chief of Defence Staff)

Agency
Intelligence agency
Special Operating Agencies
Program
Review bodies
  • Military Police Complaints Commission
  • Military Grievances External Review Committee
  • Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition
  • Office of the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman
Natural Resources NRCan 1994 Tim Hodgson (Minister of Energy and Natural Resources) Greg Orencsak

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Crown corporation
Petroleum Boards
  • Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board
  • Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board
Regulators
Public Safety PS 2003 Gary Anandasangaree (Minister of Public Safety)

Eleanor Olszewski (Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience)

Tricia Geddes (Deputy Minister)
Agency
Enforcement agencies
Intelligence agency
Review bodies
Public Services and Procurement PSPC 1996 Joël Lightbound (Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement; Receiver General) Arianne Reza (Deputy Minister; Deputy Receiver-General)
Agency
Special Operating Agency
  • Translation Bureau
Crown corporations
Review Body
  • Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
Transport TC 1935 Steven MacKinnon (Minister of Transport) Michael Vandergrift

(Deputy Minister)

Agencies
Crown corporations
Enforcement Agency
Funds
  • Fund for Railway Accidents Involving Designated Goods
  • Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund
Review bodies
Veterans Affairs VAC 1944 Jill McKnight (Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence) Nancy Gardiner (Deputy Minister)
Agencies
Review bodies
Women and Gender Equality WAGE 2018 Rechie Valdez (Minister of Women and Gender Equality) Frances McRae (Deputy Minister) None

Separate agency with direct ministerial oversight

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Agency Abbreviation Established Minister Deputy head Associated entity
Canada Revenue Agency CRA 2003

1867 (historic)

François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of National Revenue) Bob Hamilton (Commissioner of Revenue)
Review body
  • Office of the Taxpayers Ombudsperson

Independent agencies and offices

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Independent review bodies

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Canadian Armed Forces

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Branch Abbreviation Established Minister Commander
Canadian Army CA 1855 David McGuinty Michael Wright
Canadian Forces Intelligence Command CFINTCOM 2013 Dave Abboud
Canadian Joint Operations Command CJOC 2012 Steve Boivin
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command CANSOFCOM 2006 Steve Hunter
Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF 1914 Jamie Speiser-Blanchet
Royal Canadian Navy RCN 1910 Angus Topshee
Canadian Forces Military Police CFMP 1917 Vanessa Hanrahan

Parliament

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Procedural officers

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Standing committees

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Joint Standing Committees

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Officers of Parliament

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Agencies

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Review bodies

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Courts

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See also

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Provincial and territorial equivalents

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References

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  1. ↑ "Prime Minister Carney announces changes in the senior ranks of the public service | Prime Minister of Canada". www.pm.gc.ca. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Prime Minister Carney announces changes in the senior ranks of the public service | Prime Minister of Canada". www.pm.gc.ca. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board". www.fpslreb-crtespf.gc.ca. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
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