Briefing package for the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages – November 21, 2024

Income Security and Social Development Branch

The Income Security and Social Development Branch develops social policies and designs programs and initiatives to ensure that children, families, seniors, persons with disabilities, communities and others who face social challenges have the support, knowledge, and information that they need to maintain their well-being and facilitate their participation in Canadian society. The Branch ensures that eligible Canadians obtain retirement, survivor and disability benefits. It supports the long-term financial security of persons with disabilities and their families.

The Income Security and Social Development Branch is the focal point for implementation of the Accessible Canada Act, which supports the realization of a barrier-free Canada by 2040, through the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of accessibility barriers in the federal jurisdictions across seven priority areas. The Branch is responsible for accessibility policy and regulatory development, supporting Governor-in-Council appointments, implementing National AccessAbility Week and delivering the Accessible Canada Funding. It develops policy to support persons with disabilities, including the Disability Inclusion Action Plan and the Canada Disability Benefit, and serves as the federal focal point for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, the Branch supports Black communities in Canada by investing in Black-led and Black-serving organizations, initiatives and community spaces. It also plays a central coordination role for federal initiatives under the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.

The Branch manages the OAS program, the CPP, including CPP Disability, and the Canada Disability Savings Program, which provides long-term financial security.

The Branch leads on policy development and implementation of key government priorities relating to early learning and child care, including Indigenous early learning and child care. Through its Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy, the Branch supports social and economic entities called social purpose organizations-charities, non-profits, social enterprises, cooperatives, businesses with a social mission-who play a role in tackling environmental and socio-economic challenges such as food insecurity, lack of affordable housing and transition to the low-carbon economy.

Also housed within the branch is the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, which advances a whole-of-government approach to removing systemic racial barriers across federal initiatives and drives the implementation of Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy, 2024 to 2028.

There are also several sub-programs and initiatives that work towards Branch goals, that include:

• the Enabling Accessibility Fund
• the Social Development Partnerships Program
• the Social Finance Fund
• the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative
• the Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund (led by the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and persons with Disabilities)
• the New Horizons for Seniors Program
• the Age Well at Home initiative
• the Early Learning and Child Care
• the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care
• the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat
• the Equitable Access to Reading Program

Learning Branch

The Learning Branch helps make post-secondary education and apprenticeship training more affordable and accessible to all Canadians. The Branch also builds a culture of volunteer service for youth to gain leadership and other skills while making an impact on communities across Canada. Specifically, the Branch helps families save early for their children's post-secondary education through education savings benefits, provides grants and loans and repayment assistance to students and apprentices in need, supports students in the afterschool space and provides non-financial support (for example, tutoring and mentoring) aimed at helping students succeed in their studies and transition to post-secondary education or the labour market.

The Branch also promotes civic engagement among young people through access to meaningful volunteer opportunities.

The major programs managed by the Branch are the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, the Canada Education Savings Program, the Supports for Student Learning Program, and the Canada Service Corps.

Skills and Employment Branch

The Skills and Employment Branch works with partners, including provincial and territorial counterparts, industry sectors, and post-secondary institutions, to support employers and helps Canadians access the skills and employment supports they need to fully participate in a changing labour market and contribute to growth and innovation. It achieves this by providing programs and initiatives that promote skills development, labour market participation and inclusiveness. Specifically, these programs seek to build a skilled labour force as well as an inclusive and efficient labour market by removing barriers to skills development and employment and supporting lifelong learning.

The Branch also offers programs to support an efficient labour market by facilitating the integration of skilled newcomers, the mobility of workers across Canada, the dissemination of labour market information, and a suite of Indigenous labour market programs to help reduce the skills and employment gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The Branch also provides strategic advice and coordination in advancing Indigenous reconciliation across all departmental initiatives. In addition, the Branch is responsible for programs that provide temporary income support to eligible unemployed workers.

Major programs managed by the Branch include:

• the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy
• the Employment Insurance Program
• the Enabling Fund for Official Languages Minority Communities
• the Foreign Credential Recognition Program
• Future Skills
• Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program
• Labour Market Transfer Agreements
• Job Bank and Labour Market Information
• Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities
• Red Seal Program
• Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program
• Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
• Skills for Success Program
• Skills and Partnership Fund
• Student Work Placement Program
• Youth Employment Skills Strategy Program

Strategic and Service Policy Branch

The Strategic and Service Policy Branch undertakes analysis and develops strategic policy and advice on key economic, social, and service aspects of the ESDC mandate. This involves horizontal coordination and integration of research, and policy development and implementation across the portfolio.

Specific policy development and implementation initiatives include: Canada's Poverty Reduction Strategy; the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals; and the National School Food Policy and work towards a national school meal program. The Branch is also the focal point for:

• reporting and advice on Ministers' mandate-letter commitments
• Cabinet and regulatory affairs
• international and intergovernmental relations
• policy advice, research capacity and overall research coordination within the portfolio on economic, social and service delivery fields
• supporting government and departmental governance on strategic service-related issues
• program evaluation
• performance measurement
• expertise on Gender-based Analysis Plus
• expertise on the Part VII of the Official Languages Act
• horizontal coordination and support in research governance, planning and dissemination processes
• enterprise services such as change management and business architecture to support the ongoing evolution and transformation of programs and services;
• portfolio-wide strategic planning and reporting
• medium-term planning

In addition, the Branch houses the ESDC Innovation Lab that fosters a culture of innovation and experimentation in the Department, and the Transformation Hub, which brings policy and programs together to accelerate the design and delivery of client-centric solutions.

Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management Branch

The internal audit function supports the Department by providing independent, objective assurance and advisory services. Internal audit seeks to assess and improve the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes within the Department.

The internal audit function also provides liaison services with the Office of the Auditor General and other assurance providers.

The function of enterprise risk management provides management with a systematic process, supported by a risk culture, to assess, communicate and manage all types of risks at a level appropriate to the organization's risk profile. Enterprise risk management takes risk management beyond functional, program or policy areas and allows for risk information to be incorporated into governance deliberations and strategic and operational decisions, including those related to resource allocation.

Chief Data Officer Branch

As the Department's newest enabling service branch, the Chief Data Officer provides direction and leadership for the innovative, secure, and ethical management and use of data and analytics. The Chief Data Officer Branch works with stakeholders across the organization to implement ESDC's Data Strategy and drive towards a future state enterprise data ecosystem where data users are empowered by access to properly contextualized and curated data at the right time to meet the needs of our clients and improve programs and services for all Canadians. Our key initiatives and services include:

• leading the development and implementation of ESDC's Data Strategy
• management of ESDC's data portfolio
• data infrastructure and program management, including enablement of appropriate access through ESDC's Data Foundations Platform and open data;
• enterprise data governance and stewardship
• guidance, oversight and support for the innovative and responsible use of AI and advanced analytics tools and methods
• support for organizational change through data literacy, engagement, and awareness

Chief Financial Officer

In order to ensure an environment of fiscal responsibility, compliance and accountability, the Chief Financial Officer provides functional direction, guidance and leadership for the management of the Department's financial resources and systems. This includes:

• strategic multi-year resource planning
• management, and reporting
• corporate accounting
• reporting, and financial statements
• the administration of the corporate real estate portfolio property
• financial system maintenance
• the stewardship of corporate investments and procurement
• centre of expertise for project management

Corporate Secretariat

The Corporate Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, Part 4 of the Department of Employment and Social Development Act related to Protection of Personal Information, the Departmental Policy on Advisory Bodies, and the Departmental Policy on Privacy Management. The Corporate Secretariat also supports the Department by providing services, advice and assistance on domains related to:

• Parliamentary Affairs
• Access to Information and Privacy Management
• Governance and Executive Committees
• Ministerial and Executive Briefings
• Ministerial and Executive Correspondence
• Governor in Council appointment frameworks and selection processes

Human Resources Services Branch

The Human Resources Services Branch contributes to ESDC as an inclusive, accessible, healthy, and productive organization by attracting and retaining diverse talent aligned with business needs, by developing people, and by fostering a safe, healthy, and productive workplace.

To achieve these goals and with the vision to drive the employee experience at ESDC to be the best in government through seamless, digital, inclusive, and user-centric services, the Branch is committed to enabling and supporting a strengthened ESDC workforce, enabling an ESDC workplace that supports well-being and inclusion, and modernizing Human Resources programs and services.

Innovation, Information and Technology Branch

The Innovation, Information and Technology Branch is the digital services enabler for the whole department. The Branch provides information and technology services to the Department, covering our citizen-facing services, key departmental business systems, and the technologies used by all employees. As one of the largest departments in the federal government, ESDC has a diverse and aging technology base, which the Branch is actively sustaining, modernizing, and transforming in collaboration with partner organizations across the Department and the Government, including the Canadian Digital Service.

Legal Services Branch

The Legal Services Branch provides legal services to support the core operations and key initiatives of the Department. The services provided include legal advice on program statutes and policies administered by the Department; advice in relation to the development of policy and legislative or regulatory proposals; and representation of the Department before boards, administrative tribunals, and courts.

Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Branch

The Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Branch is the communications branch of ESDC. The Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of this branch is the Head of Communications for the Department and is responsible for upholding the Government of Canada's Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.

The Branch serves as the focal point for strategic and operational communications advice, products and services and supports portfolio Ministers in their roles as principal spokespersons for the Department and Deputy Heads in their roles as heads of the institution. Through its networks and channels, the Branch works closely with central agencies (such as the Privy Council Office, Treasury Board Secretariat and Finance Canada) for communication direction, guidance and approval.

The Branch is a full-service communications branch that offers professional communication services, including:

• internal and strategic communications
• events, marketing and advertising
• stakeholder relations
• public opinion research
• video and creative services
• social media
• media relations
• speech writing
• linguistic services

Policy, Dispute Resolution, and International Affairs Branch

The Policy, Dispute Resolution and International Affairs Branch leads policy development on labour issues affecting federally regulated industries in Canada. The Branch manages the Government of Canada's relationships with its international, federal, provincial and territorial partners, and with unions and employers. It provides mediation and conciliation services to unions and employers in the federally regulated private sector.

The Branch also works to promote respect for international labour standards with Canada's international partners and makes connections with employers, unions and a wide array of stakeholders and partners on labour policy issues.

Compliance, Operations and Program Development Branch

The Compliance, Operations and Program Development Branch provides a strategic vision for program operations and service delivery. It leads the administration of labour legislation and regulations in the areas of workplace safety, labour standards, employment equity, and federal workers' compensation. It also ensures national consistency in program delivery and works to modernize services to strengthen accountability, results, and performance along with other Labour Program business lines.

Strategic Integration and Governance Directorate

The Strategic Integration and Governance Directorate provides corporate management advice and support to the Labour Program and ensures strategic alignment and integration across the Labour Program and the Department.

Service Canada Transition Office

The recently established Service Canada Transition Office supports the Service Canada Chief Operating Officer and Service Canada's senior leadership team in implementing a coordinated approach to improving service delivery in a client-centric, accessible, and timely fashion across a variety of transition-related activities including the Service Delivery Network (SDN) project, and the Benefits Delivery Modernization (BDM) Programme.

Integrated Client Service Delivery Organization

The Integrated Client Service Delivery (ICSD) organization is responsible for day-to-day integrated service delivery, execution of Integrated Service Strategy and Operations (ISSO) strategies, and cultivation of the employee experience.

ICSD oversees the implementation of the SDN business changes while ensuring that front-line employees continue to receive the support they need to deliver high-quality services to clients. ICSD is responsible for the largest share of employees and is focused on client-facing functions.

ICSD organization consists of:

• Service Delivery Management works across multiple channels and physical locations within their respective workforce, consistently following national practices and processes, and achieving SDN service objectives via:
  • Service Delivery Management - ATL Region
  • Service Delivery Management - ON Region
  • Service Delivery Management - QC Region
  • Service Delivery Management - WT Region
• Business Readiness Strategies and Implementation oversees change management strategies executed consistently across the regions, and ensures that the consolidated level of change is manageable across the SDN to maximize adoption.
• People Management Integrated Services oversees human resource practices and initiatives executed consistently across the SDN and supports key SDN human resource activities.

Integrated Services Strategy and Operations Branch

The ISSO Branch has an overarching mandate to ensure that Canadians receive reliable and accessible services. It includes three branches focused on service design and reporting, workload and workforce management, and the provision of integrated expertise to the SDN.

These 3 distinct branches work closely together, in partnership with regional delivery networks, on the design, development, delivery, departmental readiness, and continuous improvement of services for Canada's largest statutory benefit programs, including EI, CPP (including CPP-Disability), and OAS, as well as the specialized call centre services, appeals and quality management services. These teams work closely with colleagues and partners across the Department and the Government of Canada to align policy direction with effective operations and ensure clients have access to the programs and services to which they are entitled.

ISSO is also responsible for delivering new service offerings and service delivery partnerships, such as the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the Canadian Passport Program, and the Canadian Disability Benefit, as well as lead improvement projects, such as the CPP enhancement and the implementation of the EI Board of Appeal, which will reform the EI appeal process and establish the Board of Appeal Secretariat to be housed in ISSO.

The ISSO is the strategic lead for departmental efforts to ensure all eligible individuals are receiving the benefits for which they are eligible, including Canada's most vulnerable populations. This effort, referred to as Reaching All Canadians, is an initiative to remove barriers preventing clients from accessing federal government benefits and services. ISSO also supports the Department in enhancing the accessibility of its programs and services and in responding to the obligations of the Accessible Canada Act and the Public Service Accessibility Strategy through its Centre of Expertise for Accessible Client Service.

Integrity Services Branch

The Integrity Services Branch (ISB) protects the Department's most important programs and benefit services - Employment Insurance (EI), Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) from error, fraud and abuse by preventing, detecting and addressing wrongdoing through the use of compliance reviews, investigations, business intelligence, predictive analytics, root cause analyses and fraud risk assessments. This contributes to the long-term sustainability of the programs offered by the Government of Canada.

ISB is the policy centre for identity management, by providing registration and authentication services, managing the operations processing and quality management of the Social Insurance Number (SIN) program, and providing a leadership role on information sharing agreement with provinces and territories.

ISB is responsible for supporting internal integrity, emergency management, business continuity and corporate security. ISB promotes the security and the safety of departmental personnel, visitors, information, and assets, oversees the security clearance process of all employees, as well as manages unauthorized accesses and log monitoring in the corporate system and a complementary internal risks program. ISB ensures the Department continues to deliver services to Canadians in the event of security incidents, disruptions, natural disasters, or emergencies.

Program Operations Branch

The Program Operations Branch (POB) leads the management and delivery of core ESDC grants and contributions programs, through a national delivery centre and a regional network, and 6 ministerial portfolios, including:

• Labour and Seniors
• Families, Children, and Social Development
• Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilitie
• Women and Gender Equality and Youth
• Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
• Citizens' Services

POB is also responsible for managing and overseeing the Work-Sharing Program. POB plays an important role in the grants and contributions lifecycle, from supporting the design, through launching of call for proposals, screening and assessing, and negotiating agreements with clients.

The Branch also leads modernization initiatives as well as interdepartmental grants and contributions engagement. It conducts client experience research by collecting important feedback on how clients experience and evaluate the services of the Department, which allows the Department to understand the interactions, challenges, and expectations of client organizations. Applied research is also conducted to ensure that we understand barriers to access programs, to reduce bias in all phases of the lifecycle, and to ensure that we are meeting and exceeding client expectations.

In addition to providing horizontal support and functional direction to Delivery units, POB also supports the management, oversight, and administration of grants and contributions by operating the Grants and Contributions Centre of Expertise and by managing the Common System for Grants and Contributions and a variety of other client-facing IT systems.

In 2022 to 2023, ESDC managed a budget of $3 billion^{Footnote 4} in grants and contributions. See annex A for the current list of ESDC programs and initiatives.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Branch

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Branch is responsible for delivering the TFW Program, which enables Canadian employers to fill labour and skills shortages on a temporary basis when Canadians and permanent residents are not available. The TFW Program also seeks to balance the needs of employers with the protection of temporary foreign workers while they are in Canada.

The TFW Program is designed to be responsive to changes in the labour market and incorporates a Labour Market Impact Assessment, which requires prospective employers to demonstrate that the entry of temporary foreign workers is in line with Canadian labour market needs, and that the employer and job offer are legitimate. The program is a primary source of seasonal labour in Canada, particularly in the agricultural sector, and plays a key role in ensuring domestic food security.

The TFW Program Branch is directly responsible for leading program policy development, processing and reviewing Labour Market Impact Assessment applications, issues management, and, through inspection activities, helping to ensure that employers are compliant with requirements and that temporary foreign workers are protected. Through the established governance, the TFW Program Branch also works closely with stakeholders, including: the provinces and territories who hold jurisdiction over labour and housing standards for most sectors; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada who determines eligibility for work permits; the Canada Border Services Agency who assesses admissibility at ports of entry, and issues work permits; and, external partners (for example, employers, immigration consultants, migrant support worker organizations, academics, and source nations) to support program administration.

The TFW Program Branch is also responsible for the Migrant Worker Support Program, a contribution program that aims to support migrant workers in Canada to learn about and exercise their rights.

Canadian Digital Service

Since 2017, the Canadian Digital Service (CDS) has been focused on empowering government to serve people better. In July 2023, following the announcement of a new Minister of Citizens' Services, CDS moved from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, to Service Canada, placing CDS where it can have significant impact.

With this move, CDS has expanded its focus on service delivery excellence with the addition of the Chief Client Experience Office for Service Canada, and consolidated efforts to deliver a seamless sign-in experience for government service with the Digital Credentials Program Office joining the organization in 2024.

Having completed a strategic alignment, CDS is focusing its work on 4 missions described in the CDS Strategic Vision 2024 to 2027:

• easy access to government services for all people and businesses
• human-centred client experiences focused on solving whole problems
• effective, efficient, and trustworthy services enabled by data and technology
• empowering people to deliver

The Client Experience Office's mandate is to drive the revamping of Service Canada's service design and delivery by putting clients and their needs at the centre. It does so by offering a variety of services such as:

• client experience service strategy
• user research and client feedback analysis
• service design
• Rapid usability testing
• digital product development
• impact measurement and behavioural science data analytics

The Client Experience Office's top priorities are to identify opportunities to lessen the burden for clients in accessing benefits and services and to recognize clients' life journeys and emotional needs in the design and delivery of services so that client expectations are met across channels.

Placing Canadians at the core of the design and delivery of new and existing services will enable clients who prefer to self-serve digitally to do so successfully and free up resources for those most in need of additional support. This ultimately increases client satisfaction and leads to efficiencies that reduce operational costs for the department.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Western Canada and Territories Region)

The Western Canada and Territories Region covers 4 provinces and 3 territories:

• British Columbia
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut

It is the largest region in terms of size, with an area of 6.1 million km² and serves 12 million people representing 30% of Canada's total population. The Region includes over 7,200 employees providing services to Canadians through:

• 246 Citizen Services Points of Presence
  • 92 Service Canada Centres
  • 128 Scheduled Outreach Sites
  • 15 Government of Northwest Territories Partnership Sites
  • 6 Integrated Service Canada Centres-Consolidated Sites
  • 5 Passport Sites
  • 1 Passport Processing and Printing Site
• 14 Benefits Delivery Operations Centres
  • 6 EI Processing Sites
  • 3 Pensions Processing Sites
  • 4 Call Centre Sites (EI, Employer Contact Centre and Pensions)
  • 1 Specialized Processing Centre

Members

The Commission has 4 members, 3 of whom are voting members, representing the interests of government, workers and employers.

The EI Commissioner for Workers and the EI Commissioner for Employers are appointed by the Governor in Council for terms of up to 5 years. They are mandated to represent and reflect the views of their respective constituencies.

The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are respectively the Deputy Minister and Senior Associate Deputy Minister of ESDC, who represent the interests of the Government. The Vice-Chairperson votes on decisions only if the Chairperson is unavailable.

Services and Information

The main statutory function of the Commission is to administer the Employment Insurance Act. In practice, many of the day-to-day duties of the Commission have been delegated to ESDC officials.

The Commission has the legislated mandate to annually monitor and assess the EI program. In this context, the Canada Employment Insurance Commission is responsible for:

• overseeing a research agenda for the annual EI Monitoring and Assessment Report, including the impact and effectiveness of employment benefits and support measures
• delivering the report to the Minister by fiscal year end, for tabling in Parliament

The Commission also has statutory responsibilities in the following areas:

EI Policy and Regulations

The Canada Employment Insurance Commission, under the authority of the Employment Insurance Act:

• reviews and approves policies related to EI program administration and delivery
• makes regulations, with the approval of the Governor in Council

Financial Transparency/Rate Setting

The Canada Employment Insurance Commission:

• commissions an EI premium report from the Senior Actuary and prepares a summary report;
• delivers both reports to the minister of ESDC and the minister of Finance for tabling in Parliament;
• sets the annual EI premium rate according to the projections of the Senior Actuary; and
• sets the annual maximum insurable earnings according to the legislative requirement.

EI Appeals

The EI Appeals Committee seeks advice from both Commissioners, for Workers and for Employers, before proceeding with respect to judicial reviews or appeals to the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court of Canada.

Both Commissioners, for Workers and for Employers, sit on a committee with the chairperson of the Social Security Tribunal and are consulted by the Minister before recommending to the Governor in Council any person for appointment as a member to the EI section of the Tribunal.

Additionally, the Canada Employment Insurance Commission has authority to perform duties and functions in relation to, but not limited to:

• making regulations, with the approval of the Governor in Council, regarding the registration for, use of and periods of validity of the SIN
• overseeing delivery of pan-Canadian programming activities under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act
• approving amendments to provincial and territorial funding agreements under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act
• approving Work-Sharing agreements of more than $600,000
• employment services
• developing and using labour market resources
• performing duties and functions as directed by the Minister and/or the Governor in Council

Financial profile

The operations of the Commission are funded from the EI Operating Account, for which there is no set financial profile as EI is a statutory program.

Forum of Labour Market Ministers

The Forum of Labour Market Ministers is a multilateral federal, provincial and territorial collaborative forum that promotes discussion and cooperation on labour market matters of common interest. Federal, provincial and territorial governments work cooperatively to ensure that Canada has a skilled, adaptable and inclusive workforce that supports the competitiveness of the Canadian economy. The Forum's mandate, which is focused on skills and training, is advanced through work in areas including:

• improving labour market participation of equity deserving groups
• promoting program complementarity and improving the exchange of information and data of federal, provincial and territorial programs
• improving labour mobility
• identifying and testing new approaches to encourage employer supported training.

The federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Lanquages co-chairs the Forum with a provincial-territorial co-chair which rotates on a 2-year basis.

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services

The Forum of Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Social Services was established to promote inter-jurisdictional discussion, provide timely outcome-oriented policy options, and encourage intergovernmental cooperation on social services issues. This covers areas such as poverty reduction, persons with disabilities, income support, social innovation, and Indigenous children and youth in care, as well as data and research relating to these areas. In addition, Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its work domestically, led by ESDC, to advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is discussed in this forum.

The Forum operates at the Ministerial and Deputy Minister levels, and is supported by committee work conducted at the officials' level. At the Ministerial level, provinces and territories are generally represented by their respective ministers who have the primary mandate for social services; in some cases, other ministers may participate if there is a specific link to their mandate (for example, there may be a separate minister with a mandate for persons with disabilities).

The federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development co-chairs the Forum with a provincial/territorial (P/T) minister, which rotates every 2 years. The Northwest Territories Minister of Health and Social Services is the current P/T co-chair, until December 2024, with Prince Edward Island taking on this role as of January 2025.

The Forum of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Social Services supports the Ministers Responsible for Social Services Forum and facilitates partnerships aimed at leveraging strategic opportunities to address challenging social issues. Members work collaboratively with P/T governments on key policy development issues, share information, and best practices to support FPT alignment on existing and emerging issues of mutual concern. The Forum is also involved in establishing bilateral FPT information and data sharing agreements to support program administration and delivery, particularly in respect of income support and related social services, and provides a space to establish linkages among jurisdictions and among other intergovernmental fora on crosscutting issues.

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Forum of Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care

The FPT Forum of Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) serves as a table for Ministers to discuss common priorities and issues of shared interest in the immediate and long-term, including information sharing, best practices, and potential opportunities for further discussion and collaboration on ELCC to improve the lives of children and families across Canada.

The Forum may also share information about work undertaken collaboratively with Indigenous communities and organizations towards developing culturally appropriate early childhood education. The Forum is supported by the FPT Deputy Ministers Steering Committee and the FPT Officials Working Groups. The Ministerial Forum meets on an annual basis.

This forum is in alignment with the 2017 Multilateral ELCC Framework and recognizes that P/T governments have primary responsibility and authority for the design and delivery of ELCC systems in their jurisdiction. The Forum also recognizes that federal, provincial and territorial governments have important roles to play, and provide investments to support the ELCC needs of families, including supporting ELCC for Indigenous children and families.

Forum of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors

The Forum of FPT Ministers Responsible for Seniors meets to discuss issues of importance to seniors, share information on seniors' well-being, and undertake collaborative initiatives to advance issues of common concern to seniors, including, where possible, in collaboration with other FPT fora.

The federal minister responsible for the seniors' portfolio occupies the federal co-chair role. The P/T co-chair is identified following each in-person ministers' meeting, usually every 12 to 18 months, among P/T ministers responsible for their governments' seniors' portfolio.

A FPT Committee of Deputy Ministers and a F-P/T Committee of Officials support the work of the Forum. The Seniors and Pensions Policy Secretariat, Income Security and Social Development Branch in ESDC manages the FPT Seniors Forum's Secretariat. The Forum's current work priorities include examining the socio-economic impact of ageism, the role of technology to enhance aging in place, senior abuse during the pandemic and beyond, and supportive housing for a diverse senior population.

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Labour

A key means by which the federal Minister of Labour engages with the provinces and territories is by co-chairing annual FPT meetings of Ministers responsible for Labour. The ministers' meeting is an opportunity for ministers to discuss issues of mutual interest and consider approaches that address domestic and international workplace matters of importance to Canadians.

The annual meeting of ministers is normally held in early to mid April. If there are labour matters of mutual interest requiring discussion in between annual meetings, FPT ministers may meet on an ad hoc basis. The federal Minister of Labour co-chairs on a permanent basis, while the P/T co-chair rotates among jurisdictions.

The most recent annual meeting of FPT Ministers responsible for Labour meeting took place on April 5, 2024, in Richmond, British Columbia. The topics of discussion included the possible ratification of International Labour Organization Convention C155, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, occupational health and safety harmonization, and body type appropriate equipment, especially for women. Ministers also discussed occupational health and safety protections and labour standards for workers engaged in gig/digital platform work, as well as issues related to labour disputes and essential services. The next ministers' meeting is set to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 25, 2025.

The Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation (CAALL) is a forum of deputy ministers responsible for labour and serves as the vehicle for preparations for FPT ministers' meetings, as well as for the follow-up required on issues as directed by ministers. The CAALL has 5 standing committees covering key labour subject areas: International Labour Affairs; Strategic Labour Policy; Occupational Health and Safety; Mediation and Conciliation and Labour Standards.

As of January 2019, the FPT Working Group on Temporary Foreign Workers Protections also reports to CAALL and FPT Ministers responsible for Labour.

Beginning in November 2024, Ontario will assume the presidency of CAALL for a two-year term. Accordingly, the Ontario Deputy Minister will serve as CAALL President.

The CAALL Secretariat resides in the federal Labour Program. The Secretariat is responsible for managing the CAALL budget, liaising with and providing support to the various jurisdictions, and leading preparations for the ministers' meetings as well as for CAALL meetings.

Grants and contributions

1. Youth Employment and Skills Strategy
   1. Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program
   2. Canada Summer Jobs
2. Student Work Placement Program
3. Innovative Work Integrated Learning Initiative
4. Canada Service Corps
   1. Micro-Grants
   2. Micro-Grants Diversity
   3. Micro-grants Accelerator Service
   4. Service placements (National and Regional)
5. Future Skills
6. Community Workforce Development Program
7. Supports for Student Learning Program
   1. Afterschool supports
8. International Education Strategy: Outbound Student Mobility Pilot (Global Skills Opportunity)
9. Skills for Success Program
10. Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities
11. Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy
    1. General Trades and Apprentices Supports
    2. Apprentices Service
    3. Apprentices Grants
    4. Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program (STAR) and Skills Canada
    5. Women in the Skilled Trades
12. Migrant Worker Support Program
13. Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities
    1. National component
    2. Regional component
    3. Support Canadians with a Learning Disability
    4. Enhancing Access to Professional Sign Language Interpretation
14. Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program
    1. Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
15. Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
16. Foreign Credential Recognition Program
17. Support for Labour Market Information in Canada
18. Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime
19. Social Finance Fund
20. Social Development Partnerships Program Disability Component
    1. National Operating Funds
    2. Regional Operating Funds
    3. Projects Funds
    4. Accessible Canada
    5. Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF)
    6. Children and Families (SDPP-C&F)
    7. Official Language Minority Communities (SDPP-OLMC)
21. Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund
22. Indigenous Labour Market Initiative
23. Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program
24. Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care
25. Skills and Partnership Fund
26. Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program
27. Enabling Accessibility Fund
    1. Small-sized projects
    2. Mid-sized projects
    3. Youth Innovation
28. New Horizons for Seniors Program
    1. Pan Canadian stream
    2. Community-based stream
29. Age Well at Home initiative
    1. In-Home Support Pilot Projects stream
    2. Scaling Up for Seniors stream
30. Strategic Engagement and Research Program - Domestic
31. Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund (formerly entitled Labour Management Collaboration Program)
32. Worplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity (WORBE)
33. Work Integration Social Enterprise
34. Early Learning and Child Care
35. Equitable Access to Reading Program
36. National School Food Program: Engagement and Capacity Fund
37. Supports for Student Learning Program (SSLP)
    1. Indspire
    2. Canada's International Education Strategy/Global Skills Opportunity/Outbound Student Mobility
    3. Afterschool and student supports (Formally Goal Getters under YESS)
    4. Pathways to Education
38. Equitable Access to Reading Program
39. National Institute for People of African Decent
40. Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative
41. Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP)
    1. Stream 1 - Investment in Training Equipment
    2. Stream 2 - Innovation in Apprenticeship
    3. Stream 3 - Sustainable jobs
42. Supplemental Supports to the Community Workforce Development Program
43. Indigenous Engagement Protocol Agreements
44. Canada Learning Bond
45. Investment Readiness Program
46. Labour Funding Program
    1. International Trade and Labour
    2. Labour Management Partnerships
    3. Occupational Health and Safety and Fire Prevention

Statutory programs

1. Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
   1. Canada Student Grants
   2. Canada Student Loans
   3. Canada Apprentice Loan
   4. Repayment Assistance Plan
2. Canada Education Savings Program
   1. Canada Education Savings Grants
   2. Canada Learning Bond
3. Supporting Indigenous Students
4. Employment Insurance
   1. Regular Benefits
   2. Fishing Benefits
   3. Sickness Benefits
   4. Maternity and Benefits
   5. Parental Benefits
   6. Special Benefits for Self-Employed
   7. Caregiving Benefits (Family Caregiver Benefit for Children, Family Caregiver Benefit for Adults, Compassionate Care Benefits)
   8. Premium Reduction Program
   9. Work Sharing
   10. Supplemental Unemployment Benefits
5. Job Bank
6. Canada Disability Savings Program
7. Canada Disability Benefit
8. Canada Pension Plan
   1. Canada Pension Plan-Disability
9. Old Age Security
   1. Guaranteed Income Supplement

Transfer payments

1. Early Learning and Child Care Agreements
   1. Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements
   2. Bilateral Early Learning and Child Agreement Extensions
2. Labour Market Development Agreements^{Footnote 5}
3. Workforce Development Agreements
4. National School Food Program Agreements

Other initiatives

1. Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship (Red Seal Program)
2. Canada Training Benefit
3. Canadian Government Annuities
4. Social Security Tribunal
5. Temporary Foreign Workers Program
6. Employment Strategy for Canadians with Disabilities
7. Canadian Digital Service

Other initiatives led by Finance Canada with support from ESDC

1. Canada Child Benefit
2. Canada Workers Benefit

Other initiatives led by Health Canada with support from ESDC

1. Canadian Dental Care Plan