There was a minister of marine and fisheries from
Confederation in 1867 onwards. The role was split in two in 1930, with duties related to fisheries going to the new minister of fisheries, and all other responsibilities going to the new minister of marine, which was merged into the role of
minister of transport a few years later. The minister of fisheries lasted from 1930 to 1969, at which point the post was merged with forestry to create the post of minister of fisheries and forestry. This lasted only two years, until 1971, when the minister of fisheries became a secondary role held concurrently by the
minister of the environment. In 1974, the fisheries portfolio was assigned to
Roméo LeBlanc as the minister of state (fisheries) assisting the minister of the environment. When LeBlanc was appointed as the minister of the environment in 1976, the post was restyled minister of fisheries and environment. The current post of minister of fisheries and oceans was established in 1979, and it has continued under various names since then.
Hunter Tootoo was the first
Indigenous person to hold this portfolio, from November 4, 2015 until May 31, 2016. From 1995 to 2025, the minister was responsible for the
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), which was a special operating agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Until 1995, the CCG was housed under
Transport Canada. In 2025, the government transitioned the CCG to the
Department of National Defence. ==Ministers of Marine and Fisheries (1867–1930)==