Health and Welfare Canada

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The Department of National Health and Welfare (NHW), commonly known as Health and Welfare Canada, was a Canadian federal department established in 1944.

Contents

Its advisory body on welfare was the National Council of Welfare. [1] In June 1993, Prime Minister Kim Campbell split the department into two separate entities: Health Canada [2] and Human Resources and Labour Canada (later Human Resources Development Canada). [1]

History

Canada's original Department of Health was created in 1919. It would merge with the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment in 1928 to form the Department of Pensions and National Health. Soon after, the Department of National Health and Welfare would be established in 1944. [3]

Following the 1992 federal budget the department was tasked with administering the newly created Child Tax Benefit and of the Children's Special Allowances programs. [4]

In June 1993, Prime Minister Kim Campbell split the department into two separate entities: the portfolio related to health would form Health Canada, [2] while social-development and income-security programs (i.e., the 'welfare' side) would form Human Resources and Labour Canada [1] —which also combined Labour Canada, the employment programs of Employment and Immigration Canada, and the social-development and education programs from the Secretary of State. [5] Within a few months, a new government was elected, after which Human Resources and Labour became known as Human Resources Development Canada.

In June 1996, a few weeks before the abolition of the department, the Food Inspection Activities under the Food and Drugs Act were transferred to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. [a] [6]

Mandate, structure and programs

The department was tasked with the administration of laws and programs relating to the promotion of health, social security and welfare in Canada. [7] It was notably in charge of administering the Canada Assistance Plan [8] and the Established Programs Financing [b] transfer programs to the provinces.

As of 31 March 1967 the department oversaw a wide variety of programs and activities, structured around multiple branches: [9]

The department also oversaw multiple federal agencies and boards:

Ministers of Health and Welfare

No.MinisterTermMinistry
1. Brooke Claxton [12] October 18, 1944 - December 11, 1946under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King
2. Paul Martin Sr. December 12, 1946 - November 15, 1948
November 15, 1948 - June 20, 1957under Prime Minister Louis Stephen St. Laurent
* Alfred Johnson Brooks (Acting)June 21, 1957 - August 21, 1957under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
3. Jay Waldo Monteith August 22, 1957 - April 21, 1963
4. Judy LaMarsh April 22, 1963 - December 17, 1965under Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson
5. Allan MacEachen December 18, 1965 - April 19, 1968
April 20, 1968 - July 5, 1968under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
6. John C. Munro July 6, 1968 - November 26, 1972
7. Marc Lalonde November 27, 1972 - September 17, 1977
8. Monique Bégin September 18, 1977 - June 3, 1979
9. David Edward Crombie June 4, 1979 - March 2, 1980under Prime Minister Joe Clark
Monique Bégin (2nd time)March 3, 1980 - June 29, 1984under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau
June 30, 1984 - September 16, 1984under Prime Minister John Turner
10. Jake Epp September 17, 1984 - January 29, 1989under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
11. Perrin Beatty January 30, 1989 - April 20, 1991
12. Benoît Bouchard April 21, 1991 - June 24, 1993
13. Mary Collins June 25, 1993 - November 3, 1993under Prime Minister Kim Campbell
14. Diane Marleau November 4, 1993 - January 24, 1996under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
15. David Dingwall January 25, 1996 - July 11, 1996

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ The following year all the activities related to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals would be transferred to the newly created Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
  2. ↑ Excepted the Post-Secondary Education portion administrated by the Secretary of State.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Welfare Reforms in Canada - Réformes du bien-être social au Canada". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05.
  2. 1 2 "Senior Services". www.amherstburg-cs.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Cheung-gertler, Jasmin H. 2008 November 26. "Health Canada." The Canadian Encyclopedia (last updated 2014 August 5).
  4. ↑ An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, to enact the Children's Special Allowances Act, to amend certain other Acts in consequence thereof and to repeal the Family Allowances Act , S.C. 1992, c. 48
  5. ↑ "Human Resources Development Canada Sustainable Development Strategy II." Human Resources Development Canada. 2004 March 10.
  6. ↑ Order Transferring Food Inspection Activities from the Minister of National Health and Welfare to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Transferring Food Safety Policy Activities from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food to the Department of National Health and Welfare, SI/96-52, 13 June 1996.
  7. ↑ Department of National Health and Welfare Act, s. 4(1).
  8. ↑ Department of National Health and Welfare (1979). Canada Assistance Plan : 1978-79 Annual Report.
  9. ↑ Department of National Health and Welfare (1968). Annual Report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1967. Ottawa: Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationary.
  10. ↑ Youth Allowances Act , S.C. 13 Eliz. II, c. 13
  11. ↑ Department of National Health and Welfare Act, s. 6.
  12. ↑ "Brian Brooke Claxton | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2021-01-24.

See also

Further reading

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