A member of the Canadian cabinet, the Associate Minister of National Defence is responsible for various files within the defence department as assigned by the Prime Minister or Defence Minister.

The position was created in 1940 during World War II under the War Measures Act along with the creation of a Minister of Defence for Air and a Minister of Defence for Naval Services. These positions lapsed with the end of the war. The position of Associate Minister of Defence was recreated in 1953 when the National Defence Act was amended to provide for the appointment in peacetime.

This post remained vacant under Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark and John Turner. Brian Mulroney revived the position but it was abolished under Kim Campbell when she decreased the size of cabinet from 35 to 24 ministers. The post was also not included under Jean Chrétien.

This position reappeared on December 12, 2003 when Paul Martin choose his first cabinet and named Albina Guarnieri as the Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State for Civil Preparedness. The current minister is Mauril Bélanger.

See: List of Associate Ministers of National Defence (Canada)