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| Employment and Income Secretariat | |
|---|---|
| Name | Employment and Income Secretariat |
| Formation | 1980s |
| Headquarters | Ottawa |
| Region served | Canada |
| Parent organization | Privy Council Office |
Employment and Income Secretariat The Employment and Income Secretariat was a Canadian federal body established to coordinate employment policy, income support programs and interdepartmental responses to unemployment and welfare reform. It operated at the nexus of central agencies such as the Privy Council Office (Canada), the Department of Finance Canada, and line departments including Employment and Social Development Canada and the former Human Resources Development Canada, advising ministers such as the Prime Minister of Canada and cabinet committees on labour-market strategies. The Secretariat engaged with provincial governments like those of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta as well as international institutions including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Labour Organization.
The Secretariat was created during a period marked by policy exchange among institutions such as the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission and the policy networks around leaders like Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney. Early work intersected with initiatives undertaken by the Canada Social Transfer and reforms from the Meech Lake Accord era discussions on fiscal arrangements. Throughout the 1990s the Secretariat coordinated responses to shifts documented by analysts at the Fraser Institute and commentators in the Globe and Mail, and it advised during major events such as federal-provincial negotiations on the Canada Health and Social Transfer and the fiscal consolidation led by successive Minister of Finance (Canada) officeholders. Its timeline paralleled policy shifts seen under premiers like Mike Harris and federal actors including Jean Chrétien.
Mandated to align federal policy levers, the Secretariat worked across institutional partners including the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Statistics Canada, and the Canada Revenue Agency. Its functions encompassed policy analysis using data produced by Labour Force Survey teams housed in Statistics Canada, interjurisdictional negotiation with provincial counterparts such as the Ministry of Labour (Ontario) and advisory work for cabinet committees chaired by figures like the Secretary to the Cabinet (Canada). The Secretariat provided strategic advice on program design affecting recipients of frameworks originating from the Unemployment Insurance Act (Canada) era and later instruments shaped by the Canada Pension Plan discourse.
The Secretariat’s internal organization mirrored central agencies such as the Privy Council Office (United Kingdom) model and included branches focused on labour-market analysis, fiscal modelling and program delivery liaison. Senior officials maintained working relationships with deputy ministers from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and with policy directors drawn from the Conference Board of Canada and academic centres like the University of Toronto and Carleton University. Committees convened with representatives from agencies including the Canadian Labour Congress and think tanks such as the Institute for Research on Public Policy.
Initiatives co-ordinated by the Secretariat touched on active labour-market programming similar to projects led by the Canada Summer Jobs program and collaborative pilots involving the Canada Student Loans Program and provincial workforce training schemes. The Secretariat oversaw pilots comparable to innovations promoted by the Social Development Partnership Program and engaged in program evaluations analogous to those commissioned by the Auditor General of Canada and scholars at the University of British Columbia. It helped design transitions for recipients interacting with agencies such as Service Canada and monitored outcomes reported by researchers at the Royal Society of Canada.
The Secretariat’s influence appeared in cabinet memoranda and policy instruments that referenced evidence from institutions including Statistics Canada and academic research from centres like the Munk School of Global Affairs and School of Public Policy (University of Calgary). Evaluations often intersected with audit work by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and with parliamentary studies conducted by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Comparative assessments drew on datasets used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and reports by international actors such as the World Bank.
Partnerships included formal engagement with provincial ministries—Ministry of Employment and Social Development (Ontario), Ministère du Travail (Québec)—and with national stakeholders like the Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and employer groups such as the Business Council of Canada. The Secretariat convened dialogues with academic partners from institutions such as the University of Ottawa and think tanks including the C.D. Howe Institute and Canada West Foundation. It also participated in trilateral exchanges with counterparts in the United States Department of Labor and the UK Department for Work and Pensions.
Critiques from commentators in outlets like the Toronto Star and policy analysts at the Fraser Institute targeted the Secretariat for perceived centralization of policy control and for tensions with provincial autonomy exemplified in disputes similar to those during debates over the Canada Health Act and fiscal federalism disputes. Labour unions such as the Canadian Union of Public Employees and advocacy groups like the Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario network raised concerns about program adequacy and transparency, while opposition parties including the New Democratic Party and the Conservative Party of Canada questioned cost-effectiveness and impact on vulnerable populations during parliamentary committee hearings.