Executive Branch

The Executive branch of the government operates, implements, and enforces all of the laws produced by the legislative branch. It is comprised of the Queen, who in Canada, is represented by the Governor General and the Executive Council, which make up of ministers in the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister.

The cabinet creates policies and sets priorities for the federal government. The cabinet ministers are appointed by the Governor General, based on the want of the Prime Minister. Each minister has it's own department to control. For example, there are ministers of defense, immigration, military, etc. Ministers make the decisions for their section of the cabinet.

Here is how the entire cabinet works: The Governor General chooses appropriate ministers and assigns them a certain department of the Government. From there, it's the minister's job to make decisions on his/her department. It may seem like an easy job to have, but it in fact holds a great deal of pressure and the margin for error is zero.

The responsibility of each member of the Cabinet is referred to as individual ministerial responsibility. Ministers get confidential advice and information from the public service and agree to be held accountable for their decisions as a minister in the cabinet.

The following describes the ministries of the Canadian federal government, starting from Prime Minister:
1. Prime Minister (Right Hon. Steven Harper)
2. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development (Hon. Bernard Valcourt)
3. Minister of National Defense (Hon. Rob Nicholson)
4. Minister of Justice (Hon. Peter MacKay)
5. Minister of Health (Hon. Rona Ambrose)
6. Minister of Public Works and Government Services (Hon. Diane Finley)
7. Minister of Foreign Affairs (Hon. John Baird)
8. President of the Treasury Board (Hon. Tony Clement)
9. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Hon. Peter Van Loan)
10. Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism (Hon. Jason Kenney)
11. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (Hon. Gerry Ritz)
12. Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie (Hon. Christian Paradis)
13. Minister of Industry (Hon. James Moore)
14. Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. Minister of Infrastructure, Communities, and Intergovernmental Affairs (Hon. Denis Lebel)
15. Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Minister for the Arctic Council, and Minister of the Environment (Hon. Leona Aglukkaq)
16. Minister of Transport (Hon. Lisa Raitt)
17. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Hon. Gail Shea)
18. Minister of Veteran Affairs (Hon. Julian Fantino)
19. Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (Hon. Steven Blaney)
20. Minister of International Trade (Hon. Ed Fast)
21. Minister of Finance (Hon. Joe Oliver)
22. Minister of National Revenue (Hon. Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay)
23. Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages (Hon. Shelly Glover)
24. Minister of Citizenship and Heritage (Hon. Chris Alexander)
25. Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women (Hon. K. Kellie Leitch)
26. Minister of Natural Resources (Hon. Greg Rickford)
31. Minister of State (Hon. John Duncan), there are 12 other branches of Ministries under this category.

-This part of the website is contributed by Sean

Sources:
http://bit.ly/1lEZBuB
http://bit.ly/1qWevov
http://bit.ly/RVIq00