Organization of Ministries/Departments

Each government ministry (at the provincial level) or department (at the federal level) has its own structure.  Some understanding of the structure can usually be obtained from the websites of the respective government agencies.  However, there are some roles that are common to the structure of most or all government ministries and departments.

First, the general organization of government ministries/department is hierarchical, with the Minister politically responsible for all that goes on in that arm of the government. 

Some key roles:

·         The Minister – As noted, the Minister is appointed by Cabinet to be responsible for a “portfolio” of related issues.  He or she is politically responsible for the running of the ministry or department.  Occasionally the government will appoint a junior Minister, to assist the primary minister, or a Minister of State, who does have responsibility for a particular issue, but has no ministry/department of his or her own, and who must therefore work with closely with other Ministers. 

·         Minister’s Office – A Minister generally maintains a political office connected to the Executive that is not directly part of the ministry or department.  However, it can be used to direct questions or arrange meetings of a more political nature.  A particularly useful person: the Minister’s Administrative Assistant helps coordinate the Minister’s work, attending meetings and providing advice as needed. 

·         Deputy Minister (DMs) – The Deputy Ministers oversee various government programmes and report to the Minister.  They are the highest level of the civil service, but are frequently appointed with political considerations in mind.  The DM is much more likely to deal with broad policy change within the Ministry than a local issues. 

·         Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) – ADMs have overall responsibility for particular programme within a department or ministry.  They are more likely than DMs to have risen through the ranks of the civil service, although political appointments are not unknown. 

·         Regional Managers – Many ministries and departments have regional and/or district offices and these are headed by a manager or an equivalent position.  If you are dealing with a local issue you may want to find out what region or district you are in, and start with that office. 

Below those basic roles there starts to be a lot of variation in the organization of different ministries/departments.  Spend some time finding out about who in the Ministry is working on the issues you are concerned with. 

For more information on Organization of Ministries/Departments:

·         The B.C. Government Directory – whose who in B.C.’s government.

·         The mandate and organizational structure page of the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

·         Web pages for B.C. Government Ministries and Organizations. 

·         Web pages for Federal Government Departments and Organizations.