In Canada from 1993 to 2003, from 2007 to 2008, and again since 2025, secretary of state is a title given to junior ministers of state in the Government of Canada that sit outside Cabinet. Because it is a position that is assigned to assist Cabinet ministers, a secretary of state is legally a minister of state; 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 are 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 are, however, members of the ministry and the King'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).

History

These positions were first used by Jean Chrétien as a way to decrease the size of the Cabinet without substantially decreasing the size of the ministry. When Paul Martin became Prime Minister in 2003, this usage ended, and he instead appointed ministers of state and increased the powers of parliamentary secretaries to act in junior policy positions.

Martin's successor, Stephen Harper, resumed the use of secretaries of state in a cabinet shuffle on 4 January 2007, but went back to ministers of state in his October 2008 cabinet.

Mark Carney resumed the use of secretaries of state in a cabinet shuffle on 13 May 2025.

List of secretaries of state in Canada

External affairs

<!-- Some information moved from Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa (Canada) -->Between 1993 and 2003, there were at least three junior Minister of State positions within the Department of External Affairs (renamed in 1995 to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) responsible for assisting the Minister of Foreign Affairs (known until 1993 as the Secretary of State for External Affairs).

  • the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) — relations within the Asia-Pacific
  • the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) — relations with Latin America and Africa.
  • the Secretary of State (Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East) — relations with Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East (introduced by Order-in-Council in 2002).

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!Title and portfolio

Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the office of Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) was introduced. On 2008 October 30, a ministerial position was established by Harper as the Minister of State (Science & Technology).

Between 2007 and 2008 during the conservative Harper government, Human Resources Development included a Secretary of State (Seniors) to assist with the seniors portfolio.