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| Occupation | |
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| Names | Deputy minister, deputy head |
Occupation type | Seniorpublic servant |
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InCanada, adeputy minister (DM;French:sous-ministre) is the seniorcivil servant in a government organization, who acts as deputy head. Deputy ministers take political direction from aminister of the Crown, who is typically an electedmember of Parliament andresponsible for the department.
The Canadian position is equivalent to the position ofpermanent secretary in the United Kingdom and theAustralian position ofdepartmental secretary. This position should not be confused with thedeputy prime minister of Canada, who is not a civil servant at all, but a politician and senior member of theCabinet.[1]
Much of the current management structure of theGovernment of Canada – including the role of deputy heads – originates from theRoyal Commission on Government Organization, also known as the Glassco Commission.
The title is not only used for the federal (national) government, but also for equivalent positions in theprovincial and territorial governments.
A deputy minister has responsibility for a department's day-to-day operations, budget, and program development. As members of the public service, deputy ministers arenonpartisan.[2] The deputy minister is the functional head of the department in question, while the minister is the department's political master. Unlike most other public service positions, deputy ministers areGovernor-in-Council appointments made on theadvice of theprime minister of Canada. Accordingly, deputy ministers can sometimes lose their positions as a result of a change of the party in power, particularly if they are seen as too closely identified with the policies of the previous government.[3]
Under theInterpretation Act and departmental legislation, deputy heads are typically permitted to exercise powers of their ministers for all purposes aside from creation of regulations. Deputy heads also possess powers under their own right under theFinancial Administration Act,Public Service Employment Act, powers delegated by theTreasury Board of Canada, andPublic Service Commission of Canada. Typically, these relate to management of resources delegated to their organizations, personnel management, including appointment, employer-employee relations, and the organization of the department. Ministers may not provide specific direction on the areas a deputy minister is directly assigned.[4]
Theexecutive government (Crown-in-Council) includes many organizations not designated as departments including special operating agencies – such asStatistics Canada,Parks Canada – themilitary, departments which function more as an "administrative umbrella", such asPublic Safety Canada, which comprises six agencies, as well asCrown corporations. As such, various organizations' senior leadership (commissioner, chief executive, etc.) while not explicitly deputy ministers, exercise similar functions.[4]
The most senior deputy minister in the Canadian federal government is theclerk of the Privy Council, who is deputy minister to the Prime Minister and head of thePublic Service of Canada.[5] In the provinces and territories, the position fulfils a similar function as the most senior public servant and is called the cabinet secretary or clerk of the executive council. This person, along with their staff, typically develops agendas for regular Cabinet meetings, reconciles differences between departments, guides major policy initiatives, and coordinates the appointments of departmental heads. The position reports directly to the relevant prime minister and is typically among the most seasoned, influential, and low profile of public servants.
The Australian equivalent is the secretary of theDepartment of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the British equivalent is theCabinet Secretary. The equivalent in the provincial governments of Canada is the named "Deputy Minister of Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet" (Alberta), "Deputy Minister to the Premier and Cabinet Secretary" (Saskatchewan) or similar.
Associate deputy ministers are deputy ministers in waiting, often assigned to a specific project or initiative pending appointment to lead a department. Assistant deputy ministers are operational positions, usually carrying responsibility for particular functions or budgets within a department.