Minister of Labour (Canada)

Minister of Labour
Ministry
Federal
Incumbent Lisa Raitt PC, MP since 19 January 2010
Style	The Honourable
Appointed by	Michaëlle Jean as Governor General of Canada
First	William Lyon Mackenzie King
Formation	2 June 1909
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Website	www.hrsdc.gc.ca

Canada

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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 Dec. 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 balanceand 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.

Ministers^[1]

1.	William Mulock	Cabinet of Laurier	1900 – May 19, 1905
2.	Allen Bristol Aylesworth	Cabinet of Laurier	October 16, 1905 – June 1906
3.	Rodolphe Lemieux	Cabinet of Laurier	June 4, 1906 – May 18, 1909
4.	William Lyon Mackenzie King	Cabinet of Laurier	June 2, 1909 – October 6, 1911
5.	Thomas Wilson Crothers	Cabinet of Borden	October 10, 1911 – November 6, 1918
6.	Gideon Decker Robertson	Cabinet of Borden	November 8, 1918 – July 10, 1920
		Cabinet of Meighen	July 10, 1920 – December 29, 1921
7.	James Murdock	Cabinet of King	December 29, 1921 – November 12, 1925
*	James Horace King (Acting)	Cabinet of King	November 13, 1925 – March 7, 1926
8.	John Campbell Elliott	Cabinet of King	March 8, 1926 – June 28, 1926
*	Robert James Manion (Acting)	Cabinet of Meighen	June 29, 1926 – July 12, 1926
9.	George Burpee Jones	Cabinet of Meighen	July 13, 1926 – September 25, 1926
10.	Peter Heenan	Cabinet of King	September 25, 1926 – August 7, 1930
	Gideon Decker Robertson (2nd time)	Cabinet of Bennett	August 7, 1930 – February 2, 1932
11.	Wesley Ashton Gordon	Cabinet of Bennett	February 3, 1932 – October 23, 1935
12.	Norman McLeod Rogers	Cabinet of King	October 24, 1935 – September 18, 1939
13.	Norman Alexander McLarty	Cabinet of King	September 19, 1939 – December 14, 1941
14.	Humphrey Mitchell	Cabinet of King	December 15, 1941 – November 15, 1948
		under St-Laurent	November 15, 1948 – August 2, 1950
*	Paul Joseph James Martin (Acting)	Cabinet of St-Laurent	August 3, 1950 – August 6, 1950
15.	Milton Fowler Gregg	Cabinet of St-Laurent	August 7, 1950 – June 21, 1957
16.	Michael Starr	Cabinet of Diefenbaker	June 21, 1957 – April 21, 1963
17.	Allan MacEachen	Cabinet of Pearson	April 22, 1963 – December 17, 1965
18.	John Robert Nicholson	Cabinet of Pearson	December 18, 1965 – April 20, 1968
19.	Jean-Luc Pépin	Cabinet of Trudeau	April 20, 1968 – July 5, 1968
20.	Bryce Stuart Mackasey	Cabinet of Trudeau	July 6, 1968 – January 27, 1972
21.	Martin Patrick O'Connell	Cabinet of Trudeau	January 28, 1972 – November 26, 1972
22.	John Carr Munro	Cabinet of Trudeau	November 27, 1972 – September 7, 1978
*	André Ouellet (Acting)	Cabinet of Trudeau	September 8, 1978 – November 23, 1978
	Martin Patrick O'Connell (2nd time)	Cabinet of Trudeau	November 24, 1978 – June 3, 1979
23.	Lincoln Alexander	Cabinet of Clark	June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980
24.	Gerald Regan	Cabinet of Trudeau	March 3, 1980 – September 21, 1981
25.	Charles Caccia	Cabinet of Trudeau	September 22, 1981 – August 11, 1983
26.	André Ouellet	Cabinet of Trudeau	August 12, 1983 – June 29, 1984
		Cabinet of Turner	June 30, 1984 – September 16, 1984
27.	William Hunter McKnight	Cabinet of Mulroney	September 17, 1984 – June 29, 1986
28.	Pierre H. Cadieux	Cabinet of Mulroney	June 30, 1986 – January 29, 1989
29.	Jean Corbeil	Cabinet of Mulroney	January 30, 1989 – April 20, 1991
30.	Marcel Danis	Cabinet of Mulroney	April 21, 1991 – June 24, 1993
31.	Bernard Valcourt	Cabinet of Campbell	June 25, 1993 – November 3, 1993
32.	Lloyd Axworthy	Cabinet of Chrétien	November 4, 1993 – February 21, 1995
33.	Lucienne Robillard	Cabinet of Chrétien	February 22, 1995 – January 24, 1996
34.	Alfonso Gagliano	Cabinet of Chrétien	January 25, 1996 – June 10, 1997
35.	Lawrence MacAulay	Cabinet of Chrétien	June 11, 1997 – November 22, 1998
36.	Claudette Bradshaw	Cabinet of Chrétien	November 23, 1998 – December 11, 2003
		Cabinet of Martin	December 12, 2003 – July 19, 2004
37.	Joe Fontana (styled as Minister of Labour and Housing)	Cabinet of Martin	July 20, 2004 – February 5, 2006
38.	Jean-Pierre Blackburn	Cabinet of Harper	February 6, 2006 -October 29, 2008
39.	Rona Ambrose	Cabinet of Harper	October 30, 2008 - January 19, 2010
40.	Lisa Raitt	Cabinet of Harper	January 19, 2010 - present

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.^[2][3] Until June 1909, the Postmaster General acted as Minister of Labour.^[4] 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”.

Notes

1. ^ "Ministers of the Crown". http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/FederalGovernment/MinisterProvincial.aspx. Retrieved 24 December 2010. 
2. ^ "Mulock, Sir William". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 3. Hurtig Publishers. 1988. p. 1401. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005509. 
3. ^ Loudon, William James (1932). Sir William Mulock: A Short Biography. Toronto: MacMillian. pp. 106–134. 
4. ^ "Canada. Department of Labour". Trent University Archives. http://www.trentu.ca/admin/library/archives/79-005.htm. Retrieved 24 December 2010.