Minister for Science (Canada)

The minister of Science is a vacant office that was in the Cabinet of Canada and existed under various forms from 1971 to 2019, when the portfolio's responsibilities were absorbed into the innovation, science and industry portfolio.

The portfolio was called the Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1971 until 1990, when a cabinet reshuffle saw the creation of two new science-related full cabinet positions: the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, and the Minister for Science. The former combined aspects of the now-defunct post of Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion and the Minister of State for Science and Technology. While it was active, two of the three full ministers for science were simultaneously Minister of State for Small Business.

When Jean Chrétien came to power in 1993, he did not nominate a full minister for science. Instead, he created the position of Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development), which was assigned by Order-in-Council to assist the Minister of Industry. While this position subsequently changed name in 2008 to Minister of State (Science and Technology), its role did not change much until 2015.

In 2015 under the first Trudeau government, Kirsty Duncan was appointed to the newly created position of Minister of Science. However, this position remained under the same legal framework as its predecessor, responsible for assisting the senior portfolio of Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (the restyled Minister of Industry).^[4] Duncan's portfolio was expected to oversee basic research, while Navdeep Bains would oversee applied science.^[5] In July 2018, the office's portfolio was expanded to include responsibility for Sport Canada and was renamed to Minister of Science and Sport.^[6]

Following the 2019 federal election, the portfolio became vacant and Bains' portfolio was expanded—he was appointed as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (previously called, Innovation, Science and Economic Development).^[7][8]

Key:

Portrait	Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry	Concurrent positions	Notes
Minister of State (Science and Technology), 1971–1990
	Alastair Gillespie	12 Aug. 1971	26 Nov. 1972	Lib	20 (P. E. Trudeau)
	Jeanne Sauvé	27 Nov. 1972	7 Aug. 1974
	Charles Mills Drury	8 Aug. 1974	13 Sept. 1976			Minister of Public Works
	James Hugh Faulkner	14 Sept. 1976	15 Sept. 1977			Secretary of State of Canada
	J. Judd Buchanan	16 Sept. 1977	23 Nov. 1978			Minister of Public Works
	Alastair Gillespie	24 Nov. 1978	3 June 1979			Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
	Ramon John Hnatyshyn	4 June 1979	8 Oct. 1979	PC	21 (Clark)	Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
	William Heward Grafftey	8 Oct. 1979	2 March 1980
	John Roberts	3 March 1980	29 June 1984	Lib	22 (P. E. Trudeau)	Minister of the Environment (1980–83), Minister of Employment and Immigration (1983–94)
	Edward Lumley	30 June 1984	16 Sept. 1984		23 (Turner)	Minister of Communications
	Thomas Edward Siddon	17 Sept. 1984	19 Nov. 1985	PC	24 (Mulroney)
	Frank Oberle	20 Nov. 1985	29 Jan. 1989				Oberle's term overlaps with Côté and de Cotret. He was assigned by Order in Council to assist the Minister of State for Science and Technology.
	Michel Côté	11 Aug. 1987	26 Aug. 1987			Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion
	Robert René de Cotret	27 Aug. 1987	29 Jan. 1989			Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion
	William Charles Winegard	30 Jan. 1989	22 Feb. 1990				Winegard's term overlaps with Andre. Andre was formally appointed as both Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion and Minister of State for Science and Technology. Winegard was assigned by Order in Council to assist the Minister of State for Science and Technology.
	Harvie Andre	30 Jan. 1989	22 Feb. 1990
Minister for Science, 1990–1993
	William Charles Winegard	23 Feb. 1990	3 Jan. 1993	Progressive Conservative	24 (Mulroney)
	Tom Hockin	4 Jan. 1993	24 June 1993			Minister of State (Small Businesses and Tourism)
	Robert Douglas Nicholson	25 June 1993	3 Nov. 1993		25 (Campbell)	Minister responsible for Small Businesses
Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development), 1993–2003
	Jon Gerrard	4 Nov. 1993	10 June 1997	Lib	26 (Chrétien)		Assigned by Order in Council to assist the Minister of Industry
	Ronald J. Duhamel	11 June 1997	2 Aug. 1999
	Gilbert Normand	3 Aug. 1999	14 Jan. 2002
	Maurizio Bevilacqua	15 Jan. 2002	25 May 2002
	Rey Pagtakhan	26 May 2002	11 Dec. 2003
Minister of State (Science and Technology), 2008–2015
	Gary Goodyear	30 Oct. 2008	15 July 2013	Cons	28 (Harper)		Assigned by Order in Council to assist the Minister of Industry
	Greg Rickford	15 July 2013	19 March 2014
	Ed Holder	19 March 2014	3 Nov. 2015
Minister of Science, 2015–2018
	Kirsty Duncan	4 Nov. 2015	18 Jul. 2018	Lib	29 (J. Trudeau)		Assigned by Order in Council to assist the Minister of Industry
Minister of Science and Sport, 2018–2019
	Kirsty Duncan	18 Jul. 2018	21 Nov. 2019	Lib	29 (J. Trudeau)

• Minister of Science - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada