# Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

The minister of agriculture and agri-food (French: ministre de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire) was a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who was responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, the National Farm Products Council and the Canadian Grain Commission.
The post was established in 1995 as a successor to the minister of agriculture (French: ministre de l'agriculture), a position that existed since Canadian Confederation in 1867. The post was discontinued in 2025, being merged with the Minister of Rural Economic Development to create a new post, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development.

## List of ministers

Key:
Minister of Agriculture :
| No. | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Ministry |
| 1 | Jean-Charles Chapais | July 1, 1867 | November 15, 1869 | Conservative (historical) | 1 (Macdonald) |
| 2 | Christopher Dunkin | November 16, 1869 | October 24, 1871 | Conservative (historical) | 1 (Macdonald) |
| 3 | John Henry Pope (1st time) | October 25, 1871 | November 5, 1873 | Liberal-Conservative | 1 (Macdonald) |
| 4 | Luc Letellier de St-Just | November 7, 1873 | December 14, 1876 | Liberal | 2 (Mackenzie) |
| – | Isaac Burpee (Acting) | December 15, 1876 | January 25, 1877 | Liberal | 2 (Mackenzie) |
| 5 | Charles Alphonse Pantaléon Pelletier | January 25, 1877 | October 8, 1878 | Liberal | 2 (Mackenzie) |
| (3) | John Henry Pope (2nd time) | October 17, 1878 | September 25, 1885 | Liberal-Conservative | 3 (Macdonald) |
| 6 | John Carling | September 25, 1885 | June 6, 1891 | Conservative (historical) | 3 (Macdonald) |
| 6 | John Carling | June 16, 1891 | November 24, 1892 | Conservative (historical) | 4 (Abbott) |
| 7 | Auguste-Réal Angers | December 7, 1892 | December 12, 1894 | Conservative (historical) | 5 (Thompson) |
| 7 | Auguste-Réal Angers | December 21, 1894 | July 12, 1895 | Conservative (historical) | 6 (Bowell) |
| 8 | Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (Acting) | July 13, 1895 | December 20, 1895 | Liberal-Conservative | 6 (Bowell) |
| 9 | Walter Humphries Montague (1st time) | December 21, 1895 | January 5, 1896 | Conservative (historical) | 6 (Bowell) |
| – | Donald Ferguson (Acting) | January 6, 1896 | January 14, 1896 | Conservative (historical) | 6 (Bowell) |
| (9) | Walter Humphries Montague (2nd time) | January 15, 1896 | April 27, 1896 | Conservative (historical) | 6 (Bowell) |
| (9) | Walter Humphries Montague (2nd time) | May 1, 1896 | July 8, 1896 | Conservative (historical) | 7 (Tupper) |
| 10 | Sydney Arthur Fisher | July 13, 1896 | October 6, 1911 | Liberal | 8 (Laurier) |
| 11 | Martin Burrell | October 16, 1911 | October 12, 1917 | Conservative (historical) | 9 (Borden) |
| 12 | Thomas Crerar (1st time) | October 12, 1917 | June 11, 1919 | Unionist | 10 (Borden) |
| – | James Alexander Calder (Acting) | June 18, 1919 | August 11, 1919 | Unionist | 10 (Borden) |
| 13 | Simon Fraser Tolmie (1st time) | August 12, 1919 | July 10, 1920 | Conservative (historical) | 10 (Borden) |
| 13 | Simon Fraser Tolmie (1st time) | July 10, 1920 | December 29, 1921 | Conservative (historical) | 11 (Meighen) |
| 14 | William Richard Motherwell (1st time) | December 29, 1921 | June 28, 1926 | Liberal | 12 (King) |
| – | Henry Herbert Stevens (Acting) | June 29, 1926 | July 12, 1926 | Conservative (historical) | 13 (Meighen) |
| (13) | Simon Fraser Tolmie (2nd time) | July 13, 1926 | September 25, 1926 | Conservative (historical) | 13 (Meighen) |
| (14) | William Richard Motherwell (2nd time) | September 25, 1926 | August 7, 1930 | Liberal | 14 (King) |
| 15 | Robert Weir | August 8, 1930 | October 23, 1935 | Conservative (historical) | 15 (Bennett) |
| – | Thomas Crerar (2nd time; Acting) | October 25, 1935 | November 3, 1935 | Liberal | 16 (King) |
| 16 | James Garfield Gardiner | November 4, 1935 | November 15, 1948 | Liberal | 16 (King) |
| 16 | James Garfield Gardiner | November 15, 1948 | June 21, 1957 | Liberal | 17 (St. Laurent) |
| 17 | Douglas Harkness | June 21, 1957 (Acting until Aug.7) | October 10, 1960 | Progressive Conservative | 18 (Diefenbaker) |
| 18 | Alvin Hamilton | October 11, 1960 | April 22, 1963 | Progressive Conservative | 18 (Diefenbaker) |
| 19 | Harry Hays | April 22, 1963 | December 17, 1965 | Liberal | 19 (Pearson) |
| 20 | John James Greene | December 18, 1965 | April 20, 1968 | Liberal | 19 (Pearson) |
| 20 | John James Greene | April 20, 1968 | July 5, 1968 | Liberal | 20 (P. E. Trudeau) |
| 21 | Bud Olson | July 6, 1968 | November 26, 1972 | Liberal | 20 (P. E. Trudeau) |
| 22 | Eugene Whelan (1st time) | November 27, 1972 | June 3, 1979 | Liberal | 20 (P. E. Trudeau) |
| 23 | John Wise (1st time) | June 4, 1979 | March 2, 1980 | Progressive Conservative | 21 (Clark) |
| (22) | Eugene Whelan (2nd time) | March 3, 1980 | June 29, 1984 | Liberal | 22 (P. E. Trudeau) |
| 24 | Ralph Ferguson | June 30, 1984 | September 16, 1984 | Liberal | 23 (Turner) |
| (23) | John Wise (2nd time) | September 17, 1984 | September 14, 1988 | Progressive Conservative | 24 (Mulroney) |
| 25 | Don Mazankowski | September 15, 1988 | April 20, 1991 | Progressive Conservative | 24 (Mulroney) |
| 26 | Bill McKnight | April 21, 1991 | January 3, 1993 | Progressive Conservative | 24 (Mulroney) |
| 27 | Charles Mayer | January 4, 1993 | June 24, 1993 | Progressive Conservative | 24 (Mulroney) |
| 27 | Charles Mayer | June 24, 1993 | November 3, 1993 | Progressive Conservative | 25 (Campbell) |
| 28 | Ralph Goodale | November 4, 1993 | January 11, 1995 | Liberal | 26 (Chrétien) |
| Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food |||||||
| 28 | Ralph Goodale | January 12, 1995 | June 10, 1997 | Liberal | 26 (Chrétien) |
| 29 | Lyle Vanclief | June 11, 1997 | December 11, 2003 | Liberal | 26 (Chrétien) |
| 30 | Bob Speller | December 12, 2003 | July 19, 2004 | Liberal | 27 (Martin) |
| 31 | Andy Mitchell | July 20, 2004 | February 5, 2006 | Liberal | 27 (Martin) |
| 32 | Chuck Strahl | February 6, 2006 | August 14, 2007 | Conservative | 28 (Harper) |
| 33 | Gerry Ritz | August 14, 2007 | November 4, 2015 | Conservative | 28 (Harper) |
| 34 | Lawrence MacAulay (1st time) | November 4, 2015 | March 1, 2019 | Liberal | 29 (J. Trudeau) |
| 35 | Marie-Claude Bibeau | March 1, 2019 | July 26, 2023 | Liberal | 29 (J. Trudeau) |
| (34) | Lawrence MacAulay (2nd time) | July 26, 2023 | March 14, 2025 | Liberal | 29 (J. Trudeau) |
| Position discontinued, replaced by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development |||||||