In 1867, the Canadian Constitution under section 92 established federal responsibility for land and sea transportation between provinces and internationally. Most transportation duties and powers were placed under the Minister of Public Works, with responsibilities for ports and harbours going to the Minister of Marine and Fisheries. In 1879, the Department of Public Works was divided in two, with powers and duties over rail and inland sea transport going to the newly formed Minister of Railways and Canals. The Minister of Railways and Canals was one of the most important cabinet posts because of the importance of railways to the economic development of Canada, with three Prime Ministers assuming the position either before or during their premiership. In Prime MinisterWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King's first cabinet in 1935, C. D. Howe was appointed to both the Minister of Railways and Canals and the Minister of Marine, which was a short-lived position split from the Minister of Marine and Fisheries in 1930. The office of Minister of Transport was created by Mackenzie King in 1936, which was formally a successor to the Minister of Railways and Canals, and C. D. Howe was appointed as the first Minister of Transport. From 2006 to 2013, the position was styled the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, a name change corresponding with responsibility for Infrastructure Canada being transferred to the portfolio at that time. "Minister of Transport" remained the title for legal purposes. With the Cabinet shuffle of July 15, 2013, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio was separated from Transport and assigned to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In 2015 it became an independent portfolio titled Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. Transport Canada used to manage most of Canada's major airports, but in the 1990s, most airports were off-loaded to non-profit private airport authorities. The department is now responsible for transportation safety, appointments to Boards of Governors, and regulation management.
Portfolio
In addition to Transport Canada, the Minister of Transport is responsible for overseeing 55 other entities, the majority of which are port authorities and airport authorities:
