Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; ) is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for the federal regulation of agriculture, including policies governing the production, processing, and marketing of all farm, food, and agri-based products. Agriculture in Canada is a shared jurisdiction and the department works with the provinces and territories in the development and delivery of policies and programs. The minister of agriculture and agri-food (currently Marie-Claude Bibeau) is responsible for the department to Parliament. While the minister is head of the department, and provides policy/political direction, the day-to-day operations of the department are managed by the deputy minister (currently Stefanie Beck), who is a public servant. History The Department of Agriculture for Canada was formed in 1867. It was organized under the Department of Agriculture Act, which was passed by Parliament and given royal assent on 22 May 1868. The first minister of agriculture, Jean-Charles Chapais, and his deputy, Dr. Joseph Charles Taché, were soon presenting important Bills to the House of Commons for the protection and improvement of Canadian agriculture. One of the first Bills was an Act Respecting Contagious Diseases of Animals, passed in 1869. This law gave the chief veterinary inspector, Dr. Duncan McEachran, who was also the dean of medicine at McGill University, authority to prevent the introduction of animal diseases into Canada. Other responsibilities In addition to agriculture, the minister and the department had many other wide-ranging national responsibilities including immigration, public health, censuses and statistics, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Over time, these other responsibilities were transferred to other departments. For example, the collection of statistics was transferred to the Dominion Bureau of Statistics (now Statistics Canada) in 1918, and healthcare in Canada was transferred to the Department of Health when it was created in 1919. Portfolio organizations Today, organizations for which the minister of agriculture and agri-food is responsible for include: Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal Canadian Dairy Commission Canadian Grain Commission Farm Credit Canada Farm Products Council of Canada Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency In 2013, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was moved from the Agriculture Portfolio to the Health Portfolio. Legislation Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is responsible for a number of laws related to agriculture and food in Canada. Agricultural Marketing Programs Act Agricultural Products Marketing Act Animal Pedigree Act Canada Grain Act Canadian Agricultural Loans Act Canadian Dairy Commission Act Canada Grain Act Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act