Minister of Labour (Canada) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minister of Labour
Incumbent Seamus O'Regan since October 26, 2021
Employment and Social Development Canada
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council
Reports to	Parliament Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch (represented by the governor general); on the advice of the prime minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder	William Lyon Mackenzie King
Formation	2 June 1909
Salary	CA$269,800 (2019)
Website	www.canada.ca/labour

The Minister of Labour is an important job in the Canadian government. This person is in charge of everything related to work and jobs in Canada. They help make sure workplaces are fair and safe for everyone.

This role is part of a bigger government department called Employment and Social Development Canada. From 2015 to 2019, the job was combined with other roles. But in 2019, during Justin Trudeau's time as Prime Minister, it became its own separate job again. Since 2021, Seamus O'Regan has been the Minister of Labour. He is also the Minister of Seniors.

History of the Labour Minister Role

How the Department of Labour Started

The idea of having a special government department for labour issues began a long time ago. Before 1900, the person in charge of postal services, called the postmaster general, also handled labour matters.

In 1900, a new department was created just for labour. This happened thanks to William Mulock, who was the postmaster general, and William Lyon Mackenzie King. King later became a very famous Prime Minister of Canada. Mulock was the first minister, and King was the first deputy minister.

What the Ministry of Labour Did

The Ministry of Labour had many important tasks. For example, it dealt with protests by unions in 1907. It also helped promote teamwork between workers and bosses after wars. The ministry also created laws about how unions could be formed.

Changes Over the Years

In 1996, the Department of Labour was officially closed. However, the job of Minister of Labour continued. It became part of other larger government departments. These included Human Resources Development Canada (from 1996 to 2003) and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (from 2003 onwards).

In 2004, the job title changed slightly to "Minister of Labour and Housing." This was because the minister also became responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This organization helps with housing in Canada. Even with this change, the official legal title remained "Minister of Labour."

In 2015, the Labour job was merged into a bigger role. It became part of the "Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour." This minister took on some duties that were previously handled by other employment ministers.

Then, in 2019, after the 2019 Canadian federal election, the job was split again. There was once more a separate Minister of Labour. Filomena Tassi was appointed to this role on November 20, 2019.

Who Has Been the Minister of Labour?

Many different people have held the important job of Minister of Labour over the years. They have worked to improve conditions for workers across Canada.

Key:      Liberal Party of Canada      Historical conservative parties: Liberal-Conservative, Conservative (historical), Unionist, National Liberal and Conservative, Progressive Conservative      Conservative Party of Canada

No.	Portrait	Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry
Minister of Labour
For ministers responsible for labour issues before 1909, see Postmaster General of Canada.
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	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	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	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	Incumbent	Liberal