# Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

The Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth (French: Ministre des Femmes et de l’Égalité des genres et de la Jeunesse) a minister of the Crown and member of the Canadian Cabinet. The position is responsible for the Department for Women and Gender Equality and the youth portfolio is associated with the Department of Canadian Heritage.

## History

The position previously existed as Minister of Status of Women, responsible for what was then known as Status of Women Canada. Traditionally, the office that held the Status of Women portfolio under their purview, that minister has been designated the additional honorary title of Minister responsible for the Status of Women.
The Status of Women portfolio was originally created in 1971 as a product of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (created in 1967), who completed their report in 1970. The title of Minister for Women and Gender Equality was created in 2018, following the passage of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2 and the creation of the Department fort Women and Gender Equality, separating Status of Women Canada from the Department of Canadian Heritage. Responsibility for youth issues was added to the portfolio in 2021, once again associating the office with the Department of Canadian Heritage.

## List of ministers

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Additional role | Political party |
| Minister of Status of Women |||||
| Bob Andras | 11 June 1971 | 7 August 1974 | | Lib |
| Marc Lalonde | 1976 April 1 | 1977 September 15 | Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | Lib |
| Marc Lalonde | 1977 September 16 | 1978 November 23 | Minister of State (Federal-Provincial Relations) | Lib |
| Marc Lalonde | 1978 November 24 | 1979 June 3 | Minister of National Health and Welfare and Minister responsible for Fitness and Amateur Sport | Lib |
| David Samuel Horne MacDonald | 1979 June 3 | 1980 March 2 | Secretary of State and Minister of Communications | PC |
| Lloyd Axworthy | 1980 March 3 | 1981 September 21 | Minister of Employment and Immigration | Lib |
| Judith Erola | 1981 September 22 | 1983 August 11 | Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs | Lib |
| Judith Erola | 1983 August 12 | 1984 September 16 | Minister of State (Mines) | Lib |
| Walter Franklin McLean | 1984 September 17 | 1985 August 19 | Secretary of State | PC |
| Walter Franklin McLean | 1985 August 20 | 1986 June 29 | | PC |
| Barbara Jean McDougall | 1986 June 30 | 1990 February 22 | | PC |
| Mary Collins | 1990 February 23 | 1993 January 3 | Associate Minister of National Defence | PC |
| Mary Collins | 1993 January 4 | 1993 June 24 | Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State (Environment) | PC |
| Mary Collins | 1993 June 25 | 1993 November 3 | Minister of National Health and Welfare | PC |
| Jean Augustine | 2003 December 12 | 2004 July 19 | Minister of State | Lib |
| Liza Frulla | 2004 July 20 | 2006 February 5 | Minister of Canadian Heritage | Lib |
| Bev Oda as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women | 2006 February 6 | 2007 August 13 | | Cons |
| Josée Verner as Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages | 2007 August 14 | 2008 October 29 | | Cons |
| Josée Verner as Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages | 2008 May 27 | 2008 October 29 | Minister of State | Cons |
| Helena Guergis as Minister of State (Status of Women) | 2008 October 30 | 2010 April 8 | | Cons |
| Rona Ambrose | 2010 April 9 | 2013 July 14 | Minister of Public Works and Government Services | Cons |
| Kellie Leitch | 2013 July 15 | 2013 December 11 | Minister of Labour | Cons |
| Kellie Leitch | 2013 December 12 | 2015 November 3 | Minister of Labour | Cons |
| Patty Hajdu | 2015 November 4 | 2017 January 9 | | Lib |
| Maryam Monsef | 2017 January 10 | 2018 December 12 | | Lib |
| Minister for Women and Gender Equality |||||
| Maryam Monsef | 2018 December 13 | 2019 November 20 | Minister of International Development | Lib |
| Maryam Monsef | 2019 November 20 | 2021 October 26 | Minister of Rural Economic Development | Lib |
| Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth |||||
| Marci Ien | 2021 October 26 | 2025 March 14 | | Lib |

## History

The "status of women" portfolio was originally created in 1971 as result of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (created in 1967), who completed their report in 1970. This new position, originally titled the Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women, was initially meant to help implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission.
During the 1993–2003 ministry of Jean Chrétien, the position was titled Secretary of State (Status of Women), as it did not carry full cabinet rank. The first cabinet of Paul Martin also kept this title, as the office's responsibilities were delegated from the Minister of Canadian Heritage. However, in July 2004, the title reverted to Minister responsible for the Status of Women with the swearing-in of Liza Frulla, who doubled as Heritage Minister and was thus ultimately responsible for Status of Women Canada.
In 2016, the position was made a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. In 2018, following the passage of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, Status of Women Canada became a federal department called the Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). WAGE administers the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case. One of the programs started by the Status of Women Canada was an education/analysis program called gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+).