[4] The department is overseen by the Minister of Environment and Climate, who is currently Mike Moyes, as of January 2025[update].
The department also protects people, property, and resource values from wildfires as well as the adverse effects of other natural and human-caused events.
[4] In terms of economic development and well-being, the Department of Conservation and Climate manages commercial use of natural resources by providing land-, water-, and resource-based opportunities and by supporting community initiatives through grant funding programs.
[14] The Department of Mines, Resources and Environmental Management, created in 1971, was mandated to maximize the economic, social, scientific, and cultural growth of Manitoba through administering, managing, protecting, and husbanding the natural resources and environment of Manitoba.
This Department was responsible for research, policy development, planning, and management of renewable resources such as forests, fisheries, and wildlife; for programs carried out by field staff in these three resource areas, for lands, surveys and mapping; and for the operation of the provincial government's Air Division.