Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (styled the Department of Agriculture until 1995) is one of the oldest continuously-operating departments in the Canadian federal government, having been founded in 1868. The department’s website describes its mission as advancing the growth and competitiveness of the Canadian agricultural sector, in addition to providing support for farmers. It’s operations are coordinated with provincial-level ministries of agriculture.
Presented below are the Ministers of Agriculture (1868 – 1995) and Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food (1995 – present). The role was briefly combined with the Rural Development portfolio (part of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada) in Mark Carney’s short-lived first cabinet (March – May 2025). The list is up-to-date as of June 8 2025.
Department of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture
Jean-Charles Chapais
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 2 1811; d. July 17 1885.
Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1867 – 1871); Member of the Senate of Canada (1868 – 1885).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 4 2025).
1867 – 1869
Christopher Dunkin
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 25 1812; d. January 6 1881.
Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1867 – 1871); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1867 – 1871).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 4 2025).
1869 – 1871
John Henry Pope
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 19 1819; d. April 1 1889.
Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1867 – 1889); Minister of Agriculture (1878 – 1885); Acting Minister of Railways and Canals (1884 – 1885); Minister of Railways and Canals (1885 – 1889).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 6 2025).
1871 – 1873
Luc Letellier de Saint-Just
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 12 1820; d. January 28 1881.
Prime Minister: Alexander Mackenzie.
Other prominent offices: Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1876 – 1879); Member of the Senate of Canada (1867 – 1876); Leader of the Government in the Senate (1873 – 1876).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 7 2025).
1873 – 1876
Isaac Burpee (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 28 1825; d. March 1 1885.
Prime Minister: Alexander Mackenzie.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1872 – 1885); Minister of Customs (1873 – 1878).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 7 2025).
1876 – 1877
Charles Alphonse Pantaléon Pelletier
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 22 1837; d. April 29 1911.
Prime Minister: Alexander Mackenzie.
Other prominent offices: Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1908 – 1911); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1869 – 1877); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1873 – 1874); Member of the Senate of Canada (1877 – 1904); Speaker of the Senate (1896 – 1901).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 8 2025).
1877 – 1878
John Henry Pope
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 19 1819; d. April 1 1889.
Prime Minister: Sir John A. Macdonald.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1867 – 1889); Minister of Agriculture (1871 – 1873); Acting Minister of Railways and Canals (1884 – 1885); Minister of Railways and Canals (1885 – 1889).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 6 2025).
1878 – 1885
John Carling
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 23 1828; d. November 6 1911.
Prime Ministers: Sir John A. Macdonald (1885 – 1891); John Abbott (1891 – 1892).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (1867 – 1872); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1867 – 1874, 1878 – 1891, 1892 – 1896); Postmaster General (1882 – 1885); Acting Postmaster General (1888); Member of the Senate of Canada (1896 – 1911).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 9 2025).
1885 – 1892
Auguste-Réal Angers
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 4 1837; d. April 14 1919.
Prime Ministers: Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (1892 – 1894); Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1894 – 1895).
Other prominent offices: Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1887 – 1892); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1874 – 1880); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1880); Member of the Senate of Canada (1892 – 1896); President of the Privy Council (1896).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 10 2025).
1892 – 1895
Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 20 1848; d. May 12 1916.
Prime Minister: Sir Mackenzie Bowell.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1873 – 1896); Speaker of the House of Commons (1887 – 1891); Minister of Public Works (1892 – 1896); Acting Minister of Agriculture (1895); Acting Secretary of State for Canada (1895 – 1896); Acting Minister of Railways and Canals (1896).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 10 2025).
1895
Walter Humphries Montague
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 21 1858; d. November 14 1915.
Prime Minister: Sir Mackenzie Bowell.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1887 – 1889, 1890 – 1900); Secretary of State for Canada (1895); Minister of Agriculture (1896); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (1913 – 1915); Minister of Public Works of Manitoba (1913 – 1915).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 11 2025).
1895 – 1896
Donald Ferguson (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 7 1839; d. September 4 1909.
Prime Minister: Sir Mackenzie Bowell.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (1878 – 1891); Treasurer of Prince Edward Island (1880 – 1891); Member of the Senate of Canada (1893 – 1909).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 12 2025).
1896
Walter Humphries Montague
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 21 1858; d. November 14 1915.
Prime Ministers: Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1896); Sir Charles Tupper (1896).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1887 – 1889, 1890 – 1900); Secretary of State for Canada (1895); Minister of Agriculture (1895 – 1896); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (1913 – 1915); Minister of Public Works of Manitoba (1913 – 1915).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 11 2025).
1896
Sydney Arthur Fisher
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 12 1850; d. April 9 1921.
Prime Minister: Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1882 – 1891, 1896 – 1911).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 12 2025).
1896 – 1911
Martin Burrell
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 19 1858; d. March 20 1938.
Prime Minister: Sir Robert Borden.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1908 – 1920); Secretary of State for Canada (1917 – 1919); Minister of Mines (1917 – 1919); Minister of Customs and Inland Revenue (1919 – 1920).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 13 2025).
1911 – 1917
Thomas Alexander Crerar
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 17 1876; d. April 11 1975.
Prime Minister: Sir Robert Borden.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1917 – 1925, 1930 – 1945); Minister of Railways and Canals (1929 – 1930); Acting Minister of Agriculture (1935); Minister of the Interior (1935 – 1936); Minister o f Mines (1935 – 1936); Minister of Immigration and Colonization (1935 – 1936); Superintendant-General of Indian Affairs (1935 – 1936); Minister of Mines and Resources (1936 – 1945); Member of the Senate of Canada (1945 – 1966).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 13 2025).
1917 – 1919
James Alexander Calder (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 17 1868; d. July 20 1956.
Prime Minister: Sir Robert Borden.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1905 – 1917); Treasurer of Saskatchewan (1905 – 1912); Commissioner of Education of Saskatchewan (1905 – 1912); Minister of Railways, Telephones, and Highways of Saskatchewan (1912 – 1917); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1917 – 1921); Minister of Immigration and Colonization (1917 – 1921); Minister Presiding over the Department of Health (1920 – 1921); President of the Privy Council (1920 – 1921); Acting Minister of Militia and Defence (1920); Member of the Senate of Canada (1921 – 1956).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 14 2025).
1919
Simon Fraser Tolmie
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 25 1867; d. October 13 1937.
Prime Ministers: Sir Robert Borden (1919 – 1920); Arthur Meighen (1920 – 1921).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1917 – 1928, 1936 – 1937); Minister of Agriculture (1926); Premier of British Columbia (1928 – 1933); Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1928 – 1933); Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia (1928 – 1933).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 15 2025).
1919 – 1921
William Richard Motherwell
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 6 1860; d. May 24 1943.
Prime Minister: William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1905 – 1919); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1921 – 1940); Minister of Agriculture (1926 – 1930).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 15 2025).
1921 – 1926
Henry Herbert Stevens (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 8 1878; d. June 14 1973.
Prime Minister: Arthur Meighen.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1911 – 1940); Minister of Trade and Commerce (1921, 1930 – 1934); Acting Minister of Customs and Excise (1926); Acting Minister of Trade and Commerce (1926); Acting Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs (1926); Acting Minister of Mines (1926); Acting Minister of the Interior (1926); Minister of Customs and Excise (1926); Leader of the Reconstruction Party (1935 – 1938).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 16 2025).
1926
Simon Fraser Tolmie
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 25 1867; d. October 13 1937.
Prime Minister: Arthur Meighen.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1917 – 1928, 1936 – 1937); Minister of Agriculture (1919 – 1921); Premier of British Columbia (1928 – 1933); Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1928 – 1933); Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia (1928 – 1933).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 15 2025).
1926
William Richard Motherwell
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 6 1860; d. May 24 1943.
Prime Minister: William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1905 – 1919); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1921 – 1940); Minister of Agriculture (1921 – 1926).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 15 2025).
1926 – 1930
Robert Weir
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 5 1882; d. March 7 1939.
Prime Minister: R.B. Bennett.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1930 – 1935).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 18 2025).
1930 – 1935
Thomas Alexander Crerar (*acting)
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 17 1876; d. April 11 1975.
Prime Minister: William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1917 – 1925, 1930 – 1945); Minister of Agriculture (1917 – 1919); Minister of Railways and Canals (1929 – 1930); Minister of the Interior (1935 – 1936); Minister o f Mines (1935 – 1936); Minister of Immigration and Colonization (1935 – 1936); Superintendant-General of Indian Affairs (1935 – 1936); Minister of Mines and Resources (1936 – 1945); Member of the Senate of Canada (1945 – 1966).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 13 2025).
1935
James Garfield Gardiner
Date of birth/date of death: b. November 30 1883; d. January 12 1962.
Prime Ministers: William Lyon Mackenzie King (1935 – 1948); Louis St. Laurent (1948 – 1957).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1914 – 1935); Premier of Saskatchewan (1926 – 1929, 1934 – 1935); Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party (1926 – 1935); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1936 – 1958).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 19 2025).
1935 – 1957
Douglas Scott Harkness
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 29 1903; d. May 2 1999.
Prime Minister: John Diefenbaker.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1945 – 1972); Minister of Northern Affairs and Natural Resources (1957); Minister of National Defence (1960 – 1963).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 19 2025).
1957 – 1960
Francis Alvin George Hamilton
Date of birth/date of death: b. March 30 1912; d. June 29 2004.
Prime Minister: John Diefenbaker.
Other prominent offices: Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan (1949 – 1957); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1957 – 1968, 1972 – 1988); Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources (1957 – 1960).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 20 2025).
1960 – 1963
Harry William Hays
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 25 1909; d. May 4 1982.
Prime Minister: Lester Pearson.
Other prominent offices: Mayor of Calgary (1959 – 1963); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1963 – 1965); Member of the Senate of Canada (1966 – 1982).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 20 2025).
1963 – 1965
John James “Joe” Greene
Date of birth/date of death: b. June 24 1920; d. October 23 1978.
Prime Ministers: Lester Pearson (1965 – 1968); Pierre Trudeau (1968).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1963 – 1972); Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources (1968 – 1972); Member of the Senate of Canada (1972 – 1978).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 20 2025).
1965 – 1968
Horace Andrew “Bud” Olson
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 6 1925; d. February 14 2002.
Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (1996 – 2000); Member of the Parliament of Canada (1957 – 1958, 1962 – 1972); Member of the Senate of Canada (1977 – 1996); Leader of the Government in the Senate (1982 – 1984).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 22 2025).
1968 – 1972
Eugene Francis “Gene” Whelan
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 11 1924; d. February 19 2013.
Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1962 – 1984); Minister of Agriculture (1980 – 1984); Member of the Senate of Canada (1996 – 1999).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 23 2025).
1972 – 1979
John Wise
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 12 1935; d. January 9 2013.
Prime Minister: Joe Clark.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1972 – 1988); Minister of Agriculture (1984 – 1988).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 23 2025).
1979 – 1980
Eugene Francis “Gene” Whelan
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 11 1924; d. February 199 2013.
Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1962 – 1984); Minister of Agriculture (1972 – 1979); Member of the Senate of Canada (1996 – 1999).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 23 2025).
1980 – 1984
Ralph Ferguson
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 13 1929; d. August 30 2020.
Prime Minister: John Turner.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1980 – 1984, 1988 – 1993).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 25 2025).
1984
John Wise
Date of birth/date of death: b. December 12 1935; d. January 9 2013.
Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1972 – 1988); Minister of Agriculture (1984 – 1988).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 23 2025).
1984 – 1988
Donald Frank “Don” Mazankowski
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 27 1935; d. October 27 2020.
Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1968 – 1993); Minister of Transport (1979 – 1980; 1984 – 1986); Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (1986 – 1993); Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (1986 – 1989); President of the Privy Council (1986 – 1991); President of the Treasury Board (1987 – 1988); Minister of Finance (1991 – 1993).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 27 2025).
1988 – 1991
William Hunter “Bill” McKnight
Date of birth/date of death: b. July 12 1940; d. October 4 2019.
Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1979 – 1993); Minister of Labour (1984 – 1986); Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1986 – 1989); Minister of National Defence (1989 – 1991); Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources (1993).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 28 2025).
1991 – 1993
Charles James Mayer
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 21 1936; d. May 1 2025.
Prime Ministers: Brian Mulroney (1993), Kim Campbell (1993).
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1979 – 1993).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 28 2025).
1993
Ralph Edward Goodale
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 5 1949.
Prime Minister: Jean Chrétien.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1974 – 1979, 1993 – 2019); Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party (1981 – 1988); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1986 – 1988); Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (1995 – 1997); Minister of Natural Resources (1997 – 2002); Minister of Public Works and Government Services (2002 – 2003); Minister of Finance (2003 – 2006); Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (2010 – 2015); Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (2015 – 2019); High Commissioner of Canada to the United Kingdom (2021 – present).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 30 2025).
1993 – 1995
Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Ralph Edward Goodale
Date of birth/date of death: b. October 5 1949.
Prime Minister: Jean Chrétien.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1974 – 1979, 1993 – 2019); Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party (1981 – 1988); Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1986 – 1988); Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (1995 – 1997); Minister of Natural Resources (1997 – 2002); Minister of Public Works and Government Services (2002 – 2003); Minister of Finance (2003 – 2006); Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (2010 – 2015); Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (2015 – 2019); High Commissioner of Canada to the United Kingdom (2021 – present).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed May 30 2025).
1995 – 1997
Lyle Vanclief
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 19 1943.
Prime Minister: Jean Chrétien.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1988 – 2004).
1997 – 2003
Robert “Bob” Speller
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 29 1956; d. December 16 2021.
Prime Minister: Paul Martin.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1988 – 2004).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 1 2025).
2003 – 2004
Andrew “Andy” Mitchell
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 21 1953.
Prime Minister: Paul Martin.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1993 – 2006); Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (2003 – 2004).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 1 2025).
2004 – 2006
Charles Richard “Chuck” Strahl
Date of birth/date of death: b. February 25 1957; d. August 13 2024.
Prime Minister: Stephen Harper.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1993 – 2011); Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development (2007 – 2010); Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities (2010 – 2011).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 2 2025).
2006 – 2007
Gerry Ritz
Date of birth/date of death: b. August 19 1951.
Prime Minister: Stephen Harper.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1997 – 2017).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 3 2025).
2007 – 2015
Lawrence A. MacAulay
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 9 1946.
Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1988 – 2025); Minister of Labour (1997 – 1998); Solicitor General of Canada (1998 – 2002); Minister of Veterans Affairs (2019 – 2023); Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (2023 – 2025).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 4 2025).
2015 – 2019
Marie-Claude Bibeau
Date of birth/date of death: b. April 4 1970.
Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (2015 – 2025); Minister of International Development (2015 – 2019); Minister of National Revenue (2023 – 2024).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 5 2025).
2019 – 2023
Lawrence A. MacAulay
Date of birth/date of death: b. September 9 1946.
Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau.
Other prominent offices: Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (1988 – 2025); Minister of Labour (1997 – 1998); Solicitor General of Canada (1998 – 2002); Minister of Veterans Affairs (2019 – 2023); Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (2023 – 2025).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 4 2025).
2023 – 2025
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development
Kody Blois
Date of birth/date of death: b. January 17 1991.
Prime Minister: Mark Carney.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Parliament of Canada (2019 – present).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 6 2025).
2025
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Heath MacDonald
Date of birth/date of death: b. May 9 1966.
Prime Minister: Mark Carney.
Other prominent offices: Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (2015 – 2021); Member of the Parliament of Canada (2021 – present).
Sources: Parliament of Canada biography (last accessed June 7 2025).
2025 – present