Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour

Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour of Canada
Incumbent
MaryAnn Mihychuk
since 4 November 2015
Department of Employment and Social Development
Style The Honourable
Member of
Appointer Governor General of Canada
Term length At Her Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder William Lyon Mackenzie King
Formation 2 June 1909
Website www.hrsdc.gc.ca
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The Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour, previously the Minister of Labour (French: Ministre du Travail), is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for setting national labour standards and federal labour dispute mechanisms. Most of the responsibility for labour belongs with the provinces; however, the federal government is responsible for labour issues in industries under its jurisdiction.

From 2004 to 2006, the position was styled the Minister of Labour and Housing (French: Ministre du Travail et du Logement), a name change corresponding with responsibility for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation being transferred to the portfolio at that time. Minister of Labour remains the title for legal purposes.

The Department of Labour was created in 1900. Previously, the responsibility for labour affairs was handled by the Postmaster General.

From 1993 to 1996, the Department of Labour was amalgamated with the Department of Employment and Immigration to create Human Resources Development Canada. Although the intent was to replace two Cabinet posts with a single Minister of Human Resources Development, the desire to appoint "star candidate" Lucienne Robillard's to Cabinet in 1995 gave the position received a reprieve from amalgamation—Robillard was given the title and positioned as a second minister inside HRDC, responsible for the Labour Program.

A December, 2003, reorganization had seen HRDC dismantled and labour responsibilities passing to a successor department, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, again with two ministers: a Minister of Labour and a Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. The name change to Labour and Housing occurred seven months later. The Ministry of HRDC was reconstituted in February, 2006, as Human Resources and Social Development Canada, but still with two ministers.

The Minister of Labour and Housing is responsible for HRSDC's Labour Program and thus is responsible for the Canada Labour Code, the Employment Equity Act, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, as well as the implementation of health and safety legislation. Other acts the minister retains responsibility for include the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act, Government Employees Compensation Act, and Merchant Seamen Compensation Act. The minister is also responsible for the Strategic Policy and International Labour Affairs (SPILA) Directorate, which focuses on workplace trends and changes, including work-life balance and the reformation of employment relationships, and the Workplace Information Directorate (WID), which provides information on workplace conditions, trends, and innovative practices through direct personal services, electronic means, and various publications, including the Workplace Gazette and the Wage Settlements Bulletin.

The Department of Labour was created in 1900 through the efforts of Postmaster General William Mulock and William Lyon Mackenzie King, becoming, respectively, the first minister and deputy minister.[1][2] Until June, 1909, the Postmaster General acted as Minister of Labour.[3] In 1996, the Department of Labour was abolished, but the ministerial position continued within Human Resources Development Canada from 1996 to 2003 and Human Resources and Social Development Canada from 2003 to date.

In 2004, the portfolio was renamed from Labour to Labour and Housing. In 2015, the portfolio was renamed Employment, Workforce, and Labour, gaining some responsibilities previously held by the Minister of Employment and Social Development.

List of ministers

Key:

No. Name Term of office Political party Ministry
For ministers responsible for labour issues before 1900, see Postmaster General of Canada.
Postmaster General
1 William Mulock 1900 May 19, 1905 Liberal 8 (Laurier)
2 Allen Bristol Aylesworth October 16, 1905 June 4, 1906 Liberal
3 Rodolphe Lemieux June 4, 1906 May 18, 1909 Liberal
Minister of Labour
4 William Lyon Mackenzie King June 2, 1909 October 6, 1911 Liberal 8 (Laurier)
5 Thomas Wilson Crothers October 10, 1911 October 12, 1917 Conservative (historical) 9 (Borden)
October 12, 1917 November 6, 1918 Unionist 10 (Borden)
6 Gideon Robertson November 8, 1918 July 10, 1920 Unionist
July 10, 1920 December 29, 1921 National Liberal and Conservative 11 (Meighen)
7 James Murdock December 29, 1921 November 13, 1925 Liberal 12 (King)
* James Horace King (Acting) November 13, 1925 March 8, 1926 Liberal
8 John Campbell Elliott March 8, 1926 June 29, 1926 Liberal
* Robert James Manion (Acting) June 29, 1926 July 13, 1926 Conservative (historical) 13 (Meighen)
9 George Burpee Jones July 13, 1926 September 25, 1926 Conservative (historical)
10 Peter Heenan September 25, 1926 August 7, 1930 Liberal 14 (King)
– Gideon Robertson (2nd time) August 7, 1930 February 3, 1932 Conservative (historical) 15 (Bennett)
11 Wesley Ashton Gordon February 3, 1932 October 23, 1935 Conservative (historical)
12 Norman McLeod Rogers October 23, 1935 September 18, 1939 Liberal 16 (King)
13 Norman Alexander McLarty September 18, 1939 December 14, 1941 Liberal
14 Humphrey Mitchell December 14, 1941 November 15, 1948 Liberal
November 15, 1948 August 2, 1950 17 (St. Laurent)
* Paul Joseph James Martin (Acting) August 2, 1950 August 6, 1950 Liberal
15 Milton Fowler Gregg August 6, 1950 June 21, 1957 Liberal
16 Michael Starr June 21, 1957 April 22, 1963 Progressive Conservative 18 (Diefenbaker)
17 Allan MacEachen April 22, 1963 December 18, 1965 Liberal 19 (Pearson)
18 John Robert Nicholson December 18, 1965 April 20, 1968 Liberal
19 Jean-Luc Pépin April 20, 1968 July 6, 1968 Liberal 20 (P. E. Trudeau)
20 Bryce Mackasey July 6, 1968 January 28, 1972 Liberal
21 Martin O'Connell January 28, 1972 November 27, 1972 Liberal
22 John Munro November 27, 1972 September 8, 1978 Liberal
* André Ouellet (Acting) September 8, 1978 November 24, 1978 Liberal
– Martin O'Connell (2nd time) November 24, 1978 June 4, 1979 Liberal
23 Lincoln Alexander June 4, 1979 March 3, 1980 Progressive Conservative 21 (Clark)
24 Gerald Regan March 3, 1980 September 22, 1981 Liberal 22 (P. E. Trudeau)
25 Charles Caccia September 22, 1981 August 12, 1983 Liberal
26 André Ouellet August 12, 1983 June 30, 1984 Liberal
June 30, 1984 September 17, 1984 23 (Turner)
27 Bill McKnight September 17, 1984 June 30, 1986 Progressive Conservative 24 (Mulroney)
28 Pierre Cadieux June 30, 1986 January 30, 1989 Progressive Conservative
29 Jean Corbeil January 30, 1989 April 21, 1991 Progressive Conservative
30 Marcel Danis April 21, 1991 June 25, 1993 Progressive Conservative
31 Bernard Valcourt June 25, 1993 November 4, 1993 Progressive Conservative 25 (Campbell)
32 Lloyd Axworthy November 4, 1993 February 22, 1995 Liberal 26 (Chrétien)
33 Lucienne Robillard February 22, 1995 January 25, 1996 Liberal
34 Alfonso Gagliano January 25, 1996 June 11, 1997 Liberal
35 Lawrence MacAulay June 11, 1997 November 23, 1998 Liberal
36 Claudette Bradshaw November 23, 1998 December 12, 2003 Liberal
December 12, 2003 July 20, 2004 27 (Martin)
37 Joe Fontana July 20, 2004 February 6, 2006 Liberal
38 Jean-Pierre Blackburn February 6, 2006 October 30, 2008 Conservative 28 (Harper)
39 Rona Ambrose October 30, 2008 January 19, 2010 Conservative
40 Lisa Raitt January 19, 2010 July 15, 2013 Conservative
41 Kellie Leitch July 15, 2013 November 4, 2015 Conservative
Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour
42 MaryAnn Mihychuk November 4, 2015 Incumbent Liberal] 29 (J. Trudeau)

Notes

  1. ↑ "Mulock, Sir William". The Canadian Encyclopedia 3. Hurtig Publishers. 1988. p. 1401.
  2. ↑ Loudon, William James (1932). Sir William Mulock: A Short Biography. Toronto: Macmillan. pp. 106–134.
  3. ↑ "Canada. Department of Labour". Trent University Archives. Retrieved 24 December 2010.

Further reading

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