Minister of Finance (Canada)

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The Minister of Finance (French: Ministre des Finances) is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget. It is one of the most important positions in the Cabinet, and the Finance Minister must deal with all the other departments and plays an important role in deciding the funding levels for each.

The Minister of Finance is often one of the most unpopular positions in the government, being responsible at times for program cuts and tax increases. Paul Martin, however, seems to have overcome this and his long tenure as minister helped elevate him to the national popularity that allowed him to become Prime Minister. Martin was the fifth Prime Minister who was previously the finance minister; the others were Sir Charles Tupper, R.B. Bennett, John Turner, and Jean Chrétien.

The current Minister of Finance is Jim Flaherty.

Contents

[edit] Responsibilities

In addition to being the head of the Department of Finance, the Minister is also the government’s lead in overseeing the:

[edit] Ministers

1. Alexander Galt July 1, 1867 - November 7, 1867 under Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
2. Sir John Rose November 18, 1867 - September 30, 1869
3. Sir Francis Hincks October 9, 1869 - February 21, 1873
4. Samuel Tilley February 22, 1873 - November 5, 1873
5. Richard John Cartwright November 7, 1873 - October 16, 1878 under Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie
Sir Samuel Tilley (2nd time) October 17, 1878 - November 11, 1885 under Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
vacant November 11, 1885 - December 10, 1885
6. Archibald McLelan December 10, 1885 - January 27, 1887
7. Sir Charles Tupper January 27, 1887 - May 22, 1888
8. George Foster May 29, 1888 - June 6, 1891
June 16, 1891 - November 24, 1892 under Prime Minister John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894 under Prime Minister John Sparrow David Thompson
December 21, 1894 - January 6, 1896 under Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell
* Sir Mackenzie Bowell (Acting) January 6, 1896 - January 15, 1896
George Foster (2nd time) January 15, 1896 - April 27, 1896
May 1, 1896 - July 8, 1896 under Prime Minister Charles Tupper
vacant July 8, 1896 - July 20, 1896 under Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
9. William Stevens Fielding July 20, 1896 - October 6, 1911
10. Sir Thomas White October 10, 1911 - August 2, 1919 under Prime Minister Robert Laird Borden
11. Sir Henry Drayton August 2, 1919 - July 10, 1920
July 10, 1920 - December 29, 1921 under Prime Minister Arthur Meighen
William Stevens Fielding (2nd time) December 29, 1921 - September 5, 1925 under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
12. James Robb September 5, 1925 - June 29, 1926
* Sir Henry Drayton (2nd time) (Acting) June 29, 1926 - July 13, 1926 under Prime Minister Arthur Meighen
13. R. B. Bennett July 13, 1926 - September 25, 1926
James Robb (2nd time) September 25, 1926 - November 11, 1929 under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
14. Charles Dunning November 26, 1929 - August 7, 1930
R. B. Bennett (2nd time) August 7, 1930 - February 2, 1932 as PM
15. Edgar Rhodes February 3, 1932 - October 24, 1935 under Prime Minister R. B. Bennett
Charles Dunning (2nd time) October 24, 1935 - September 6, 1939 under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
16. James Ralston September 6, 1939 - July 4, 1940
17. James Ilsley July 8, 1940 - December 10, 1946
18. Douglas Abbott December 10, 1946 - November 15, 1948
November 15, 1948 - June 30, 1954 under Prime Minister Louis Stephen St. Laurent
19. Walter Harris July 1, 1954 - June 21, 1957
20. Donald Fleming June 21, 1957 - August 9, 1962 under Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker
21. George Nowlan August 9, 1962 - April 22, 1963
22. Walter L. Gordon April 22, 1963 - November 11, 1965 under Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson
* Mitchell Sharp (Acting) November 11, 1965 - December 18, 1965
23. Mitchell Sharp December 18, 1965 - April 20, 1968
24. Edgar Benson April 20, 1968 - January 28, 1972 under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
25. John Napier Turner January 28, 1972 - September 10, 1975
* Bud Drury (Acting) September 10, 1975 - September 26, 1975
26. Donald Stovel Macdonald September 26, 1975 - September 16, 1977
27. Jean Chrétien September 16, 1977 - June 4, 1979
28. John Crosbie June 4, 1979 - March 3, 1980 under Prime Minister Joe Clark
29. Allan MacEachen March 3, 1980 - September 10, 1982 under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
30. Marc Lalonde September 10, 1982 - June 30, 1984
June 30, 1984 - September 17, 1984 under Prime Minister John Napier Turner
31. Michael Wilson September 17, 1984 - April 21, 1991 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
32. Don Mazankowski April 21, 1991 - June 25, 1993
33. Gilles Loiselle June 25, 1993 - November 4, 1993 under Prime Minister Kim Campbell
34. Paul Martin November 4, 1993 - June 2, 2002 under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
35. John Manley June 2, 2002 - December 12, 2003
36. Ralph Goodale December 12, 2003 - February 6, 2006 under Prime Minister Paul Martin
37. Jim Flaherty February 6, 2006 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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