The Minister of Public Works was a position in the Cabinet of Canada who oversaw the public works portfolio of the federal government.
The office was established upon Confederation (1 July 1867) by Order-in-Council, and was given statutory basis later that year on December 21, through Statute 31 Victoria, c. 12.[1] On 12 July 1996, as part of substantial governmental reorganization under the leadership of Jean Chrétien, the position was merged with that of the Minister of Supply and Services to create the office of Minister of Public Works and Government Services.[2]
| No. | Name | Period in office | Ministry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | William McDougall | July 1, 1867 – September 27, 1869 | 1st |
| * | Hector-Louis Langevin (acting) | September 28, 1869 – December 7, 1869 | |
| 2. | Hector-Louis Langevin | December 8, 1869 – November 5, 1873 | |
| 3. | Alexander Mackenzie | November 7, 1873 – October 8, 1878 | 2nd
(himself) |
| 4 | Sir Charles Tupper | October 19, 1878 – May 19, 1879 | 3rd
(Macdonald) |
| – | Hector-Louis Langevin (second time) | May 20, 1879 – June 6, 1891 | |
| June 16, 1891 – August 11, 1891 | 4th
(Abbott) | ||
| 5. | Frank Smith | August 14, 1891 – January 10, 1892 | |
| 6. | Joseph-Aldric Ouimet | January 11, 1892 – November 24, 1892 | |
| December 5, 1892 – December 12, 1894 | 5th
(Thompson) | ||
| December 21, 1894 – April 27, 1896 | 6th
(Bowell) | ||
| 7. | Alphonse Desjardins | May 1, 1896 – July 8, 1896 | 7th
(Tupper) |
| 8. | Joseph-Israël Tarte | July 13, 1896 – October 21, 1902 | 8th
(Laurier) |
| 9. | James Sutherland | November 11, 1902 – May 3, 1905 | |
| 10. | Charles Smith Hyman | May 22, 1905 – August 29, 1907 | |
| 11. | William Pugsley | August 30, 1907 – October 6, 1911 | |
| 12. | Frederick Debartzch Monk | October 10, 1911 – October 28, 1912 | 9th
(Borden) |
| 13. | Robert Rogers | October 29, 191 – August 22, 1917 | |
| 14. | Charles Colquhoun Ballantyne | October 3, 1917 – October 12, 1917 | |
| 15. | Frank Broadstreet Carvell | October 13, 1917 – August 1, 1919 | 10th
(Borden) |
| * | John Dowsley Reid (acting) | August 6, 1919 – September 2, 1919 | |
| 16. | Arthur Lewis Sifton | September 3, 1919 – December 30, 1919 | |
| * | John Dowsley Reid (acting) | December 31, 1919 – July 10, 1920 | |
| * | July 10, 1920 – July 12, 1920 | 11th
(Meighen) | |
| 17. | Fleming Blanchard McCurdy | July 13, 1920 – December 29, 1921 | |
| 18. | Hewitt Bostock | December 29, 1921 – February 2, 1922 | 12th
(King) |
| 19. | James Horace King | February 3, 1922 – June 28, 1926 | |
| * | Sir George Halsey Perley (acting) | June 29, 1926 – July 12, 1926 | 13th
(Meighen) |
| 20. | Edmond Baird Ryckman | July 13, 1926 – September 25, 1926 | |
| 21. | John Campbell Elliott | September 25, 1926 – August 7, 1930 | 14th
(King) |
| 22. | Hugh Alexander Stewart | August 7, 1930 – October 23, 1935 | 15th
(Bennett) |
| 23. | Pierre Joseph Arthur Cardin | October 23, 1935 – May 12, 1942 | 16th
(King) |
| * | Joseph-Enoil Michaud (acting) | May 13, 1942 – October 6, 1942 | |
| 25. | Alphonse Fournier | October 7, 1942 – November 15, 1948 | |
| November 15, 1948 – June 11, 1953 | 17th | ||
| * | Walter Edward Harris | June 12, 1953 – September 16, 1953 | |
| 24. | Robert Henry Winters | September 17, 1953 – June 21, 1957 | |
| 25. | Howard Charles Green | June 21, 1957 – August 19, 1959 | 18th |
| 26. | David James Walker | August 20, 1959 – July 12, 1962 | |
| * | Howard Charles Green (acting) | July 18, 1962 – August 8, 1962 | |
| 27. | Edmund Davie Fulton | August 9, 1962 – April 22, 1963 | |
| 28. | Jean-Paul Deschatelets | April 22, 1963 – February 11, 1965 | 19th
(Pearson) |
| 29. | Louis Joseph Lucien Cardin | February 15, 1965 – July 6, 1965 | |
| 32. | George James McIlraith | July 7, 1965 – April 20, 1968 | |
| April 20, 1968 – July 5, 1968 | 20th | ||
| 30. | Arthur Laing | July 5, 1968 – January 27, 1972 | |
| 31. | Jean-Eudes Dubé | January 28, 1972 – August 7, 1974 | |
| 32. | Charles Mills Drury | August 8, 1974 – September 13, 1976 | |
| 33. | J. Judd Buchanan | September 14, 1976 – November 23, 1978 | |
| 34. | André Ouellet | November 24, 1978 – June 3, 1979 | |
| 35. | Erik Nielsen | June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980 | 21st
(Clark) |
| 36. | Paul James Cosgrove | March 3, 1980 – September 29, 1982 | 22nd
(Trudeau, Sr.) |
| 37. | Roméo LeBlanc | September 30, 1982 – June 29, 1984 | |
| 38. | Charles Lapointe | June 30, 1984 – September 16, 1984 | 23rd
(Turner) |
| 39. | Roch La Salle | September 17, 1984 – June 29, 1986 | 24th
(Mulroney) |
| 40. | Stewart McInnes | June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988 | |
| * | Otto Jelinek | December 8, 1988 – January 29, 1989 | |
| 41. | Elmer MacIntosh MacKay | January 30, 1989 – June 24, 1993 | |
| 42. | Paul Wyatt Dick | June 24, 1993 – November 3, 1993 | 25th
(Campbell) |
| 43. | David Charles Dingwall | November 4, 1993 – January 24, 1996 | 26th
(Chrétien) |
| 44. | Diane Marleau | January 25, 1996 – July 11, 1996 | |
| After 1996, see Minister of Public Works and Government Services. | |||