Minister of Labour (Canada)
The minister of Labour (French : Ministre du Travail ) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the labour portfolio of Employment and Social Development Canada . From 2015 to 2019, the portfolio was included in that of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, but was split in 2019 during the government of Justin Trudeau . The office has been held by Steven MacKinnon since 2024, who is also the Minister of Seniors .
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.[ 6] [ 7] Until June, 1909, the postmaster general acted as minister of labour.[ 8] [ 9]
The Ministry of Labour oversaw a variety of issues, including union riots against immigration in 1907,[ 10] post-war promotion of the federal Labour-Management Cooperation Service,[ 11] and legislation surrounding the formation of unions.[ 12]
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.[ 13]
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 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.[ 14]
In 2015, the Labour portfolio was merged into the expanded ministry of Employment, Workforce, and Labour , gaining some responsibilities previously held by the minister of employment and social development .[ 15]
In 2019, following the 2019 Canadian federal election , the portfolio was split between the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion , with Filomena Tassi being appointed the new minister of Labour on November 20.[ 16]
List of ministers
Key:
No.
Portrait
Name
Term of office
Political party
Ministry
Minister of Labour
1
William Lyon Mackenzie King
June 2, 1909
October 6, 1911
Liberal
8 (Laurier )
2
Thomas Wilson Crothers
October 10, 1911
October 12, 1917
Conservative (historical)
9 (Borden )
October 12, 1917
November 6, 1918
Unionist
10 (Borden )
3
Gideon Robertson 1st time
November 8, 1918
July 10, 1920
Unionist
July 10, 1920
December 29, 1921
National Liberal and Conservative
11 (Meighen )
4
James Murdock
December 29, 1921
November 13, 1925
Liberal
12 (King )
*
James Horace King Acting
November 13, 1925
March 8, 1926
Liberal
5
John Campbell Elliott
March 8, 1926
June 29, 1926
Liberal
*
Robert James Manion Acting
June 29, 1926
July 13, 1926
Conservative (historical)
13 (Meighen )
6
George Burpee Jones
July 13, 1926
September 25, 1926
Conservative (historical)
7
Peter Heenan
September 25, 1926
August 7, 1930
Liberal
14 (King )
(3)
Gideon Robertson 2nd time [ 17]
August 7, 1930
February 3, 1932
Conservative (historical)
15 (Bennett )
8
Wesley Ashton Gordon
February 3, 1932
October 23, 1935
Conservative (historical)
9
Norman McLeod Rogers
October 23, 1935
September 18, 1939
Liberal
16 (King )
10
Norman Alexander McLarty
September 18, 1939
December 14, 1941
Liberal
11
Humphrey Mitchell
December 14, 1941
November 15, 1948
Liberal
November 15, 1948
August 2, 1950
17 (St. Laurent )
*
Paul Martin Sr. Acting
August 2, 1950
August 6, 1950
Liberal
12
Milton Fowler Gregg
August 6, 1950
June 21, 1957
Liberal
13
Michael Starr
June 21, 1957
April 22, 1963
Progressive Conservative
18 (Diefenbaker )
14
Allan MacEachen
April 22, 1963
December 18, 1965
Liberal
19 (Pearson )
15
John Robert Nicholson
December 18, 1965
April 20, 1968
Liberal
16
Jean-Luc Pépin
April 20, 1968
July 6, 1968
Liberal
20 (P. E. Trudeau )
17
Bryce Mackasey
July 6, 1968
January 28, 1972
Liberal
18
Martin O'Connell
January 28, 1972
November 27, 1972
Liberal
19
John Munro
November 27, 1972
September 8, 1978
Liberal
*
André Ouellet Acting
September 8, 1978
November 24, 1978
Liberal
(18)
Martin O'Connell 2nd time
November 24, 1978
June 4, 1979
Liberal
20
Lincoln Alexander
June 4, 1979
March 3, 1980
Progressive Conservative
21 (Clark )
21
Gerald Regan
March 3, 1980
September 22, 1981
Liberal
22 (P. E. Trudeau )
22
Charles Caccia
September 22, 1981
August 12, 1983
Liberal
23
André Ouellet
August 12, 1983
June 30, 1984
Liberal
June 30, 1984
September 17, 1984
23 (Turner )
24
Bill McKnight
September 17, 1984
June 30, 1986
Progressive Conservative
24 (Mulroney )
25
Pierre Cadieux
June 30, 1986
January 30, 1989
Progressive Conservative
26
Jean Corbeil
January 30, 1989
April 21, 1991
Progressive Conservative
27
Marcel Danis
April 21, 1991
June 25, 1993
Progressive Conservative
28
Bernard Valcourt
June 25, 1993
November 4, 1993
Progressive Conservative
25 (Campbell )
29
Lloyd Axworthy
November 4, 1993
February 22, 1995
Liberal
26 (Chrétien )
30
Lucienne Robillard
February 22, 1995
January 25, 1996
Liberal
31
Alfonso Gagliano
January 25, 1996
June 11, 1997
Liberal
32
Lawrence MacAulay
June 11, 1997
November 23, 1998
Liberal
33
Claudette Bradshaw
November 23, 1998
December 12, 2003
Liberal
December 12, 2003
July 20, 2004
27 (Martin )
Minister of Labour and Housing
34
Joe Fontana [ 18]
July 20, 2004
February 6, 2006
Liberal
Minister of Labour
35
Jean-Pierre Blackburn
February 6, 2006
October 30, 2008
Conservative
28 (Harper )
36
Rona Ambrose
October 30, 2008
January 19, 2010
Conservative
37
Lisa Raitt
January 19, 2010
July 15, 2013
Conservative
38
Kellie Leitch
July 15, 2013
November 4, 2015
Conservative
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
39
MaryAnn Mihychuk
November 4, 2015
January 10, 2017
Liberal
29 (J. Trudeau )
40
Patty Hajdu [ 19]
January 10, 2017
November 20, 2019
Liberal
Minister of Labour
41
Filomena Tassi
November 20, 2019
October 26, 2021
Liberal
29 (J. Trudeau )
42
Seamus O'Regan
October 26, 2021
July 19, 2024
Liberal
43
Steven MacKinnon
July 19, 2024
Liberal
References
^ "The Canadian Parliamentary system - Our Procedure - House of Commons" . www.ourcommons.ca . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ "Review of the Responsibilities and Accountabilities of Ministers and Senior Officials" (PDF) .
^ "Constitutional Duties" . The Governor General of Canada . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ "House of Commons Procedure and Practice - 1. Parliamentary Institutions - Canadian Parliamentary Institutions" . www.ourcommons.ca . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ "Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances" . Library of Parliament . April 11, 2018. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017 .
^ "Mulock, Sir William" . The Canadian Encyclopedia . Vol. 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 .
^ Frances Stanford (2004). Prime Ministers of Canada Gr. 4-8 . On The Mark Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-77072-750-2 .
^ Julie F Gilmour (22 April 2014). The History of Canada Series: Trouble on Main Street: Mackenzie King Reason Race And The 1907 Vancouver Riots . Penguin Canada. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-14-319191-9 .
^ Frank A. Kunz (15 December 1965). The Modern Senate of Canada 1925-1963 . University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-1-4875-9107-6 .
^ "How “Anti-Union” Laws Saved Canadian Labour" . Érudit , Volume 57, Number 1, winter 2002, pp. 3-221
^ "What’s in a name? A look at cabinet changes since Confederation" . Hill Times , By Laura Ryckewaert Jun. 28, 2017
^ "Harper defends Air Canada labour dispute intervention" . CTV News , March 9, 2012
^ "Here are all 30 cabinet ministers at a glance" .The Ottawa Citizen , November 11, 2015
^ "Vancouver-area MPs Jonathan Wilkinson, Carla Qualtrough, Harjit Sajjan, and Joyce Murray back in Trudeau cabinet" . The Georgia Straight . 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2019-11-21 .
^ Frank A. Kunz (15 December 1965). The Modern Senate of Canada 1925-1963 . University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-1-4875-9107-6 .
^ Philip Slayton (19 May 2015). Mayors Gone Bad . Penguin Canada. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-14-319451-4 .
^ "Justin Trudeau adds fresh faces in cabinet shuffle" . Maclean's , Joan Bryden, Jan 10, 2017
Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Associate Minister of Health
Associate Minister of National Defence
Canadian Heritage
Citizens' Services
Crown–Indigenous Relations
Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Emergency Preparedness
Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
Energy and Natural Resources
Environment and Climate Change
Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development
Families, Children and Social Development
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Finance
Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard
Foreign Affairs
Government House Leader
Health
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Indigenous Services
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Innovation, Science and Industry
International Development
Justice
Labour
Mental Health and Addictions
National Defence
National Revenue
Northern Affairs
Privy Council
Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Public Services and Procurement
Rural Economic Development
Seniors
Small Business
Sport and Physical Activity
Tourism
Transport
Treasury Board
Veterans Affairs
Women and Gender Equality and Youth