Say What? Definition of Ministry.
A ministry is a department of a government. Since they are led by a minister, it is usually a subordinate to the cabinet, prime minister, president or chancellor.
A government usually have numerous ministries, each with a specialized field of service. National ministries vary between countries. Some common ones include Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Health.
However, some countries such as Switzerland, the Philippines and the United States do not use the term “ministry” for their government departments. They simply call them departments and in some countries like Hong Kong the term “bureau” is used instead.
In Canada, some provincial level government departments are called “ministries” (such as in Ontario and British Columbia). Often, their federal analogues, are termed “departments” even though their nation heads are referred to as “ministers” in both levels of government.
