Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour
Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour of Canada | |
---|---|
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 |
Salary | $251,900 (CAD) |
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.
Role
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.
History
The Department of Labour was created in 1900. Previously, the responsibility for labour affairs was handled by the Postmaster General.
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.
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.
In 2004, the portfolio was renamed from Labour to Labour and Housing.
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.
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
- ↑ "Mulock, Sir William". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 3. Hurtig Publishers. 1988. p. 1401.
- ↑ Loudon, William James (1932). Sir William Mulock: A Short Biography. Toronto: Macmillan. pp. 106–134.
- ↑ "Canada. Department of Labour". Trent University Archives. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
Further reading
- "Ministers of the Crown". Retrieved 24 December 2010.