The portfolio of Minister of Railways and Canals was created by Statute 42 Victoria, c. 7, assented to May 15, 1879 and proclaimed in force May 20, 1879. The Minister was the member of the Canadian Cabinet

Cabinet (government)

A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...

 responsible for the administration of the Department of Railways and Canals

Department of Railways and Canals (Canada)

The Department of Railways and Canals is a former department of the Government of Canada. It had responsibility for the construction, operation, and maintenance of federal government-owned railways, as well as the operational responsibility for canals in Canada.The department was created in 1879...

. It was one of the most important cabinet posts because of the importance of railways to the economic development of Canada.

The offices of Minister of Marine and Minister of Railways and Canals were abolished and the office of Minister of Transport was created by Statute 1 Edward VIII, c. 34, assented to June 23, 1936 and proclaimed in force November 2, 1936.

Ministers of Railways and Canals

1.	Sir Charles Tupper Charles Tupper Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...	May 20, 1879 - May 28, 1884	under Prime Minister John A. Macdonald John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
*	John Henry Pope (acting) John Henry Pope John Henry Pope, PC was a Canadian farmer, lumberman, railway entrepreneur, and politician.Born in Eaton Township, Lower Canada , the son of John Pope and Sophia Laberee, he served with the local militia during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 and opposed those who supported annexation of...	May 29, 1884 - September 24, 1885
2.	John Henry Pope John Henry Pope John Henry Pope, PC was a Canadian farmer, lumberman, railway entrepreneur, and politician.Born in Eaton Township, Lower Canada , the son of John Pope and Sophia Laberee, he served with the local militia during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 and opposed those who supported annexation of...	September 25, 1885 - April 1, 1889
	vacant	April 2, 1889 - April 9, 1889
*	John A. Macdonald (acting) John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...	April 10, 1889 - November 27, 1889	as Prime Minister
3.	John A. Macdonald John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...	November 28, 1889 - June 6, 1891
	vacant	June 7, 1891 - June 16, 1891	under Prime Minister John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
*	Mackenzie Bowell (acting) Mackenzie Bowell Sir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...	June 17, 1891 - January 10, 1892
4.	John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, PC was a Canadian politician.A member of the Canadian House of Commons, he was the Postmaster General and the Minister of Railways and Canals. He was Mayor of Perth, Ontario in 1867, 1869 and 1871....	January 11, 1892 - November 24, 1892
	vacant	November 25, 1892 - December 4, 1892	under Prime Minister John Sparrow David Thompson
	John Graham Haggart (2nd time) John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, PC was a Canadian politician.A member of the Canadian House of Commons, he was the Postmaster General and the Minister of Railways and Canals. He was Mayor of Perth, Ontario in 1867, 1869 and 1871....	December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894
	vacant	December 13, 1894 - December 20, 1894	under Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell Mackenzie Bowell Sir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
	John Graham Haggart (3rd time) John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, PC was a Canadian politician.A member of the Canadian House of Commons, he was the Postmaster General and the Minister of Railways and Canals. He was Mayor of Perth, Ontario in 1867, 1869 and 1871....	December 21, 1894 - January 5, 1896
*	Joseph-Aldéric Ouimet (acting)	January 6, 1896 - January 14, 1896
	John Graham Haggart (4th time) John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, PC was a Canadian politician.A member of the Canadian House of Commons, he was the Postmaster General and the Minister of Railways and Canals. He was Mayor of Perth, Ontario in 1867, 1869 and 1871....	January 15, 1896 - April 27, 1896
	vacant	April 28, 1896 - April 30, 1896	under Prime Minister Charles Tupper Charles Tupper Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...
	John Graham Haggart (5th time) John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, PC was a Canadian politician.A member of the Canadian House of Commons, he was the Postmaster General and the Minister of Railways and Canals. He was Mayor of Perth, Ontario in 1867, 1869 and 1871....	May 1, 1896 - July 8, 1896
	vacant	July 9, 1896 - July 19, 1896	under Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier Wilfrid Laurier Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
5.	Andrew George Blair Andrew George Blair Andrew George Blair, PC, KC was a Canadian politician in New Brunswick, Canada.He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1878 after unsuccessful attempts in the previous two elections. Though Blair was a supporter of Sir John A...	July 20, 1896 - July 20, 1903
*	William Stevens Fielding (acting) William Stevens Fielding William Stevens Fielding, PC was a Canadian Liberal politician, the seventh Premier of Nova Scotia , and the federal finance minister 1896–1911 and 1921–25.-Early life:...	July 21, 1903 - January 14, 1904
6.	Henry Robert Emmerson Henry Emmerson Henry Robert Emmerson, PC was a New Brunswick lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist.Henry Emmerson was educated at Amherst Academy, Mount Allison Academy, St. Joseph's College, Acadia College and earned a law degree from Boston University. He went on to a lucrative law practice and...	January 15, 1904 - April 2, 1907
	vacant	April 3, 1907 - April 8, 1907
*	William Stevens Fielding (acting) William Stevens Fielding William Stevens Fielding, PC was a Canadian Liberal politician, the seventh Premier of Nova Scotia , and the federal finance minister 1896–1911 and 1921–25.-Early life:...	April 9, 1907 - August 29, 1907
7.	George Perry Graham George Perry Graham George Perry Graham, PC was a journalist, editor and politician in Ontario, Canada.In the 1898 Ontario provincial election, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and re-elected in 1902 and 1905...	August 30, 1907 - October 6, 1911
	vacant	October 7, 1911 - October 9, 1911	under Prime Minister Robert Laird Borden
8.	Francis Cochrane Francis Cochrane Francis Cochrane, PC was a Canadian politician.-Municipal career:A prosperous hardware merchant in Sudbury, Ontario, he was the first president of the town's board of trade and later served as mayor of the town in 1897, 1898 and 1902 after winning a council seat in 1896.Along with local...	October 10, 1911 - October 11, 1917
9.	John Dowsley Reid John Dowsley Reid John Dowsley Reid, PC was a Canadian businessman, physician, and parliamentarian. A Conservative, he was a long-standing Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for the Ontario Electoral district of Grenville South...	October 12, 1917 - July 9, 1920
		July 9, 1920 - September 20, 1921	under Prime Minister Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
10.	John Alexander Stewart	September 21, 1921 - December 28, 1921
11.	William Costello Kennedy William Costello Kennedy William Costello Kennedy, was a Canadian politician.Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the riding of Essex North in the 1917 federal election as a Laurier-Liberal. He was re-elected as a Liberal in 1921...	December 29, 1921 - January 18, 1923	under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
	vacant	January 19, 1923 - April 27, 1923
	George Perry Graham (2nd time) George Perry Graham George Perry Graham, PC was a journalist, editor and politician in Ontario, Canada.In the 1898 Ontario provincial election, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and re-elected in 1902 and 1905...	April 28, 1923 - February 19, 1926
	vacant	February 20, 1926 - February 28, 1926
12.	Charles Avery Dunning Charles Avery Dunning Charles Avery Dunning, PC was born in Croft, Leicestershire, England. During his career, he was a successful businessman, a Canadian politician , and a university chancellor.-Early life:...	March 1, 1926 - June 28, 1926
*	Sir Henry Lumley Drayton (acting) Henry Lumley Drayton Sir Henry Lumley Drayton, PC was a Canadian lawyer and politician.Born in Kingston, Ontario, the son of Philip Henry Drayton, who came to Canada with the 16th Rifles of England, and Margaret S. Covernton, Drayton was educated in the schools of England and Canada. He was called to the Ontario Bar...	June 29, 1926 - July 12, 1926	under Prime Minister Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
13.	William Anderson Black William Anderson Black William Anderson Black, PC was a Canadian politician. He is the oldest person ever elected to the Canadian House of Commons, 76 years, 1 month, 26 days when he was first elected. He was 83 when he last won election and he died in office.He was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, the son of Samuel Gay...	July 13, 1926 - September 24, 1926
	Charles Avery Dunning (2nd time) Charles Avery Dunning Charles Avery Dunning, PC was born in Croft, Leicestershire, England. During his career, he was a successful businessman, a Canadian politician , and a university chancellor.-Early life:...	September 25, 1926 - November 25, 1929	under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
*	Charles Avery Dunning (acting) Charles Avery Dunning Charles Avery Dunning, PC was born in Croft, Leicestershire, England. During his career, he was a successful businessman, a Canadian politician , and a university chancellor.-Early life:...	November 25, 1929 - December 29, 1929
14.	Thomas Alexander Crerar Thomas Crerar Thomas Alexander Crerar, was a western Canadian politician and a leader of the short-lived Progressive Party of Canada. He was born in Molesworth, Ontario, and moved to Manitoba at a young age....	December 30, 1929 - August 6, 1930
15.	Robert James Manion Robert James Manion Robert James Manion, PC, MC was leader of the Conservative Party of Canada from 1938 until 1940....	August 7, 1930 - October 22, 1935	under Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett
16.	Clarence Decatur Howe C. D. Howe Clarence Decatur Howe, PC , generally known as C. D. Howe, was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister of the Liberal Party. Howe served in the governments of Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent continuously from 1935 to 1957...	October 23, 1935 - November 1, 1936	under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
(position abolished, see Minister of Transport Minister of Transport (Canada) The Minister of Transport is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada... )

External links

• Ministers of Railways and Canals