View source for Human Resources Development Canada

{{Short description|Canadian government department from 1993 to 2003}}
{{Redirect|HRDC}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name = Human Resources Development Canada
| type = Department
| seal = 
| nativename =
| logo = Human Resources Development Canada (logo).svg
| agency_type = [[Ministry (government department)|Department]] responsible for {{ubl|Employment|Skills Training|Workplace Equality|Social Security}}
| jurisdiction = [[Government of Canada|Canada]]
| employees = 
| budget = 
| formed = 1993
| dissolved = 2003
| preceding1           = [[Department of Employment and Immigration (Canada)|Department of Employment and Immigration]]
| superseding1         = [[Department of Social Development (Canada)|Department of Social Development]]
| superseding2         = [[Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (Canada)|Department of Human Resources and Skills Development]]
}}

'''Human Resources Development Canada''' ({{langx|fr|Développement des ressources humaines Canada}}, '''HRDC''') was a [[Ministry (government department)|department]] of the [[Government of Canada]] with responsibility over a large portfolio of social services. It focused on unemployment insurance, job training, counseling, and other services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Library and Archives |date=2016-11-25 |title=Human Resources Development Canada fonds [textual record, moving images] Archives / Collections and Fonds |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?idnumber=163266&app=FonAndCol |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1997 |title=Human Resources Development Canada |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/BT31-2-1998-III-11E.pdf |website=Minister of Supply and Services Canada}}</ref>

HRDC was based at a government office facility at [[Place du Portage]] IV in [[Gatineau]] (formerly downtown [[Hull, Quebec]]).

==History==
HRDC was created in 1993 by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Kim Campbell]]'s government in an attempt to decrease the size of the federal cabinet by grouping several departments with similar responsibilities. In the case of HRDC, the former Department of Employment and Immigration formed its nucleus.

HRDC had one of the largest departmental budgets and a variety of responsibilities ranging from the [[unemployment insurance]] program to the issuance of [[social insurance number]]s and job training and counseling.

Although HRDC was operationally functional since 1993, the ''Department of Human Resources Development Act'' was not adopted until 29 May 1996 <ref>[https://parl.ca/Content/Bills/352/Government/C-11/C-11_4/C-11_4.PDF An Act to establish the Department of Human Resources Development and to amend and repeal certain related Acts], S.C. 1996, chap. 11.</ref> and officially entered into force on 12 July 1996 when it received Royal Assent and was published in the [[Canada Gazette]].<ref>[https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001060/f2/1990/cgc_p3-0_v019_n001_t008_000_19960712_p00381.pdf Extract] from the Canada Gazette, Part III, vol. 19, n. 1 (Appendix) published on 12 July 1996, pages 381 and following.</ref>

=== Department of Employment and Immigration ===
The '''Department of''' '''Employment and Immigration''', in operation from 1977 to 1996, was the department that preceded HRDC and succeeded the [[Minister of Manpower and Immigration|Department of Manpower and Immigration]].

The department was abolished on 12 July 1996. The role previously held by the Minister of Employment and Immigration in regard to labour was taken on by the Minister of Human Resources Development, while the portfolio for immigration was transferred to the office of [[Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]] following the reorganization of the government and formation of the department for [[Citizenship and Immigration Canada]].<ref name=":0">"[https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/Federal/areasResponsibility/profile?depId=2821 Employment and Immigration (1977-08-15 - 1996-07-11)]." ''ParlInfo''. Ottawa: [[Library of Parliament]]. Retrieved 2020 October 30.</ref><ref name=":1">"[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SI-93-142/page-1.html Order Transferring to the Department of Employment and Immigration...and Transferring to the Minister of Employment and Immigration...and Combining the Department of Employment and Immigration and the Department of Labour Under the Minister of Employment and Immigration]."</ref><ref name=":2">"[https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78034786.html Canada. Employment and Immigration Canada (Department)]." Library of Congress.</ref>

===Dissolution (2003)===
HRDC was dissolved in a December 2003 government reorganization which saw two departments, the [[Department of Social Development (Canada)|Department of Social Development]] and the [[Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (Canada)|Department of Human Resources and Skills Development]] created in its place. The two departments were re-amalgamated on February 6, 2006, though now named [[Employment and Social Development Canada]].

== Ministers ==
<!--Moved from [[Minister of Human Resources Development]]-->The '''Minister of Human Resources Development''' was the [[Minister of the Crown]] in the [[Cabinet of Canada|Canadian Cabinet]] responsible for overseeing HRDC. Prior to 1996, the post was known as Minister of Employment and Immigration. In 2003, the portfolio was divided to create the posts of [[Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development (Canada)|Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]] and [[Minister of Social Development (Canada)|Minister of Social Development]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Ministers of Human Resources Development
!No.
!Name
! colspan="2" |Term of office
!Ministry
|-
|1.
|[[Doug Young (politician)|Doug Young]]
|July 12, 1996
|October 3, 1996
| rowspan="3" |under [[Canadian Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]]
|-
|2.
|[[Pierre Pettigrew]]
|October 4, 1996
|August 2, 1999
|-
|3.
|[[Jane Stewart (politician)|Jane Stewart]]
|August 3, 1999
|December 11, 2003
|}

=== <!--Moved from [[Minister of Employment and Immigration]]-->Minister of Employment and Immigration ===
{{Infobox official post
| post = Minister of Employment and Immigration
| body = 
| image = 
| incumbent = 
| abolished = 12 July 1996
| formation = 15 August 1977
| member_of = [[Cabinet of Canada]]
| constituting_instrument = Statute 25-26 Elizabeth II, c. 54
| first = [[Bud Cullen]]
| last = [[Doug Young (politician)|Douglas Young]]
}}The '''Minister of Employment and Immigration''' was an office in the [[Cabinet of Canada]], in operation from 1977 to 1996, and was first held by [[Bud Cullen]], who continued from his preceding role as the [[Minister of Manpower and Immigration]].

On 12 July 1996, the office of the Minister of Employment and Immigration was abolished and replaced with the office of Minister of Human Resources Development. The portfolio for immigration was transferred to the office of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration following the reorganization of the government and formation of the department for [[Citizenship and Immigration Canada]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Ministers of Employment and Immigration
!No.
!Name
! colspan="2" |Term of office
!Political party
!Ministry
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}; color:white" |1
|[[Bud Cullen]]
|August 15, 1977
|June 3, 1979
|[[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
|[[20th Canadian Ministry|20]] <small>([[Pierre Trudeau|P. E. Trudeau]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}; color:white" |2
|[[Ron Atkey]]
|June 4, 1979
|March 2, 1980
|[[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]]
|[[21st Canadian Ministry|21]] <small>([[Joe Clark|Clark]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}; color:white" |3
|[[Lloyd Axworthy]]
|March 3, 1980
|August 11, 1983
| rowspan="3" |Liberal
| rowspan="2" |[[22nd Canadian Ministry|22]] <small>(P. E. Trudeau)</small>
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}; color:white" |4
| rowspan="2" |[[John Roberts (Canadian politician)|John Roberts]]
|August 12, 1983
|June 29, 1984
|-
|June 30, 1984
|September 16, 1984
|[[23rd Canadian Ministry|23]] <small>([[John Turner|Turner]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}; color:white" |5
|[[Flora MacDonald (politician)|Flora MacDonald]]
|September 17, 1984
|June 29, 1986
| rowspan="5" |Progressive Conservative
| rowspan="4" |[[24th Canadian Ministry|24]] <small>([[Brian Mulroney|Mulroney]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}; color:white" |6
|[[Benoît Bouchard]]
|June 30, 1986
|March 30, 1988
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}; color:white" |7
|[[Barbara McDougall]]
|March 31, 1988
|April 20, 1991
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}; color:white" |8
| rowspan="2" |[[Bernard Valcourt]]
|April 21, 1991
|June 24, 1993
|-
|June 25, 1993
|November 3, 1993
|[[25th Canadian Ministry|25]] <small>([[Kim Campbell|Campbell]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}; color:white" |–
|Lloyd Axworthy ''(second time)''
|November 4, 1993
|January 24, 1996
| rowspan="2" |Liberal
| rowspan="2" |[[26th Canadian Ministry|26]] <small>([[Jean Chrétien|Chrétien]])</small>
|-
! scope="row" style="background:{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}; color:white" |9
|[[Doug Young (politician)|Douglas Young]]
|January 25, 1996
|July 11, 1996
|-
| colspan="6" |<small>'''Key:'''{{legend|{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|[[Liberal Party of Canada]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}{{legend|{{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}|[[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}</small>
|}

==Controversies==
In the late 1990s, HRDC gained public headlines across Canada following numerous poorly thought procurements, notably dozens of server computers using the [[Unix]] operating system, this despite the fact that the purchase far exceeded the department's computing requirements. Other problems relating to several incompatible email systems made HRDC a scapegoat for attacks on the government by opposition parties.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

In 2000, HRDC's poor accounting practices were made infamous by the [[Canadian Alliance]] when it was claimed that approximately $1 billion (CAD) in employment grants could not be accounted for. [[Peter Donolo]] later claimed that this scandal was "phony" and the true amount unaccounted for was $85,000.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
* [[Minister of Human Resources Development (Canada)|Minister of Human Resources Development]]

[[Category:Former Canadian federal departments and agencies]]
[[Category:Social security in Canada]]