Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is one of the most important positions in the Cabinet of Canada. The current Minister of Finance (2004) is Ralph Goodale.It is the responsibility of the Finance Minister to manage and each year present the federal government's budget. The Minister of Finance must deal with all the other ministries and plays an important role in deciding which will receive more funding.
The Minister of Finance is usually one of the most unpopular positions in the government, being responsible for unpopular cuts and increases in taxes. Paul Martin Jr, however seems to have overcome this and after his long reign as minister remains extremely popular in much of Canada.
The Canadian Department of Finance is headquartered in Esplanade Laurier in dowtown Ottawa at the corner of Bank and Laurier.
