Employment and Social Development Canada
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| Emploi et Développement social Canada | |
 |
|
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2003 |
| Type | Department responsible for
|
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
| Employees | 24,000 |
| Ministers responsible | |
| Website | www |
The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (French: Ministère des Ressources humaines et Développement des compétences), operating under the FIP-applied title Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for developing, managing and delivering social programs and services. From 2006 to 2008 the department operated under the applied title Human Resources and Social Development Canada. By 2014 the department rebranded to Employment and Social Development Canada.
The department delivers some $87 billion in programs and services and has approximately 24,000 employees. Approximately 19,000 of those employees work under the Service Canada banner.
Contents
Mission
From HRSDC's website, the department claims its mission to be to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians’ quality of life.
History
HRSDC was created in December 2003, by splitting Human Resources Development Canada into two separate departments: HRSDC and Social Development Canada. Though they continued to share many common services and operations, HRSDC was to focus on workforce-related aspects of the former HRDC portfolio, while SDC was to focus on social support programs for children, families and seniors. The split was given formal legal effect when the Department of Humans Resources and Skills Development Act and the Department of Social Development Act were enacted in July 2005.
Upon taking office in February 2006, the Conservative Party government of Stephen Harper announced it would recombine the two departments, and through a series of Orders in Council Social Development Canada was folded into HRSDC. Though a Department of Social Development remains in effect in legal terms, it no longer exists in any real sense.
From 2006 to 2008, Social Development's preceding role was reflected by styling the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development as the "Minister of Human Resources and Social Development", and by changing the department's applied title to "Human Resources and Social Development Canada". This practice ended in late 2008 when the title was changed to "Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development." The post was later referred to as "Minister of Employment and Social Development" when the department was renamed.
On November 4, 2015 the department underwent Machinery of Government Changes which saw the employment responsibilities transfer to the Labour Minister resulting in the newly re-titled Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour.[1] The Social Development aspects were then shaped into the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. The Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities is now tasked with handling the file on persons with disabilities.
Officials and Structure
Controversies
2012/2013 Privacy Breach
On January 11, 2013, Minister Diane Finley announced that a hard drive containing information of 583,000 student loan borrowers had been lost from a Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP)/HRSDC office in Gatineau, Quebec.[2] Borrowers who registered a loan between 2000-2006 are potentially affected. The information on the hard drive contained full names, SIN numbers, contact information, and loan balances. The hard drive also contained information on 250 HRSDC employees. Concerns of privacy breaches and identity theft lead to the filing of three class-action suits against the federal government on behalf of the affected students.[3]
On January 18, 2013, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada stated that a formal investigation had been launched. The stated outcome of this investigation is to provide information to organizations and individuals to improve privacy protection.[4]
The RCMP was notified but is waiting for the outcome of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's investigation to do their own investigation.
This incident has become known as "1 in 60" representing the ratio of affected individuals to the Canadian population as a whole.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=docs&doc=mog-ag-eng.htm, Machinery of Govrnment Changes
- ↑ http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=714639&crtr.tp1D=4
- ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-faces-third-class-action-lawsuit-over-student-loan-privacy-breach/article7531526/
- ↑ http://www.priv.gc.ca/information/pub/faqs_hrsdc_e.asp
