Ministry of Long-Term Care (Ontario)

Ministry of Long-Term Care
Ministère des Soins de longue durée (French)
Ministry overview
FormedJune 20, 2019
Preceding Ministry
JurisdictionGovernment of Ontario
Headquarters80 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Minister responsible
Websitewww.health.gov.on.ca

The Ministry of Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the long-term care system and providing related services in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Services and programs

History

In the early years of Canadian Confederation, health was still considered primarily a municipal rather than provincial matter. The Public Health Act of 1873 permitted the Lieutenant Governor to establish, by proclamation, a temporary "Central Board of Health" to deal with disease if it reached epidemic proportions. However, no proclamations were ever made, and a Central Board was never established.

The Provincial Board of Health was established on March 10, 1882, and it was charged with overseeing the many local health boards. It also assumed the responsibility of dealing with an epidemic, if one should arise. The board reported to the Lieutenant Governor (1882-1903), to the Provincial Secretary (1904-1918), then to the Department of Labour (1919-1924).

In 1924, the Provincial Board of Health was replaced by the Department of Health. In 1930, the department accepted from the Department of the Provincial Secretary the responsibilities for administering Ontario's psychiatric hospitals and inspecting the province's public and private hospitals. Also in 1930, the Department of Hospitals was established under the direction of the first Minister of Health; that department became a division of the Department of Health in 1934. In 1952, cancer research and the operation of cancer clinics was added to the department's responsibilities. Insured hospital services and insured physicians' services, introduced in 1959 and 1966 respectively, were combined under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) in 1972. The department also had responsibility over areas that are no longer associated with health, such as water and sewage functions (prior to 1957), mental retardation facilities and children's services (transferred to the Ministry of Community and Social Services in 1974), and occupational health (transferred to the Ministry of Labour in 1976).

In 1961, the Royal Commission on Health Services, chaired by Justice Emmett Matthew Hall, was appointed, which served as a catalyst for a major overhaul of the department.

In 1972, the Department of Health was renamed the Ministry of Health in a government-wide restructuring. In 1999, the Ministry of Health was renamed the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. On June 20, 2019, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was split into the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

List of ministers

Name Term of office Tenure Political party
(Premier) 		Note
Ministers of Health
Dr. Forbes Godfrey April 17, 1924 September 16, 1930 6 years, 152 days Conservative
(Ferguson)
John Robb September 16, 1930 December 15, 1930 3 years, 297 days
December 15, 1930 July 10, 1934 Conservative
(Henry)
Dr. James Faulkner July 10, 1934 October 12, 1937 3 years, 94 days Liberal
(Hepburn)
Harold Kirby October 12, 1937 October 21, 1942 5 years, 309 days Concurrently Minister of Public Welfare (October 27, 1942 – May 18, 1943)
October 21, 1942 May 18, 1943 Liberal
(Conant)
May 18, 1943 August 17, 1943 Liberal
(Nixon)
Dr. Percy Vivian August 17, 1943 January 7, 1946 2 years, 143 days PC
(Drew) 		Concurrently Minister of Public Welfare
Russell Kelley January 7, 1946 October 19, 1948 4 years, 213 days
October 19, 1948 May 4, 1949 PC
(Kennedy)
May 4, 1949 August 8, 1950 PC
(Frost)
Dr. Mac Phillips August 8, 1950 December 22, 1958 8 years, 136 days
Dr. Matthew Dymond December 22, 1958 November 8, 1961 10 years, 234 days
November 8, 1961 August 13, 1969 PC
(Robarts)
Tom Wells August 13, 1969 March 1, 1971 1 year, 200 days
Albert Lawrence March 1, 1971 February 2, 1972 338 days PC
(Davis)
Dr. Richard Potter February 2, 1972 February 26, 1974 2 years, 24 days
Frank Miller February 26, 1974 February 3, 1977 2 years, 343 days
Dennis Timbrell February 3, 1977 February 13, 1982 5 years, 10 days
Larry Grossman February 13, 1982 July 6, 1983 1 year, 143 days
Keith Norton July 6, 1983 February 8, 1985 1 year, 217 days Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Wells served as acting minister while Norton was on sick leave (October 11 to December 5, 1983)
Alan Pope February 8, 1985 May 17, 1985 98 days PC
(Miller)
Philip Andrewes May 17, 1985 June 26, 1985 40 days
Murray Elston June 26, 1985 September 29, 1987 2 years, 95 days Liberal
(Peterson)
Elinor Caplan September 29, 1987 October 1, 1990 3 years, 2 days Mother of later minister David Caplan (2008–09)
Evelyn Gigantes October 1, 1990 April 19, 1991 200 days NDP
(Rae) 		Resigned after inadvertently revealing the name of a Toronto man who had been sent to the United States for drug treatment that wasn't offered in the province.
Frances Lankin April 22, 1991 February 3, 1993 1 year, 287 days
Ruth Grier February 3, 1993 June 26, 1995 2 years, 143 days
Jim Wilson June 26, 1995 December 9, 1996 1 year, 166 days
(first instance) 		PC
(Harris) 		Resigned for ministerial responsibility (his aide improperly disclosed confidential health information to a reporter), reinstated after conclusion of investigation.
David Johnson December 9, 1996 February 21, 1997 74 days Interim Minister, while Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet
Jim Wilson February 21, 1997 October 10, 1997 231 days
(second instance)
2 years, 32 days in total
Elizabeth Witmer October 10, 1997 June 17, 1999 3 years, 120 days Cam Jackson served as Minister of Long-Term Care (July 27, 1998 to June 17, 1999)
Ministers of Health and Long-Term Care
Elizabeth Witmer June 17, 1999 February 7, 2001
Tony Clement February 8, 2001 April 15, 2002 2 years, 256 days Helen Johns (February 8, 2001 – April 14, 2002) & Dan Newman (April 15, 2002 – October 22, 2003) served as Associate Ministers
April 15, 2002 October 22, 2003 PC
(Eves)
George Smitherman October 23, 2003 June 20, 2008 4 years, 241 days Liberal
(McGuinty) 		While Deputy Premier (September 22, 2006 - November 9, 2009)
Jim Watson (June 29, 2005 – October 30, 2007) & Margarett Best (October 30, 2007 – October 20, 2011) served as Ministers of Health Promotion
David Caplan June 20, 2008 October 7, 2009 1 year, 109 days Son of previous minister Elinor Caplan (1987–90)
Deb Matthews October 7, 2009 February 11, 2013 4 years, 260 days While Deputy Premier (February 11, 2013 - January 17, 2018)
February 11, 2013 June 24, 2014 Liberal
(Wynne)
Dr. Eric Hoskins June 24, 2014 February 26, 2018 3 years, 247 days Dipika Damerla served as Associate Minister (Long-Term Care and Wellness) (June 24, 2014 – June 13, 2016)
Dr. Helena Jaczek February 26, 2018 June 29, 2018 123 days While Chair of Cabinet
Christine Elliott June 29, 2018 June 20, 2019 356 days PC
(Ford) 		While Deputy Premier
Ministers of Long-Term Care
Merrilee Fullerton June 20, 2019 June 18, 2021[1] 5 years, 194 days
Rod Philips June 18, 2021[1] January 14, 2022[2] 214 days
Paul Calandra January 14, 2022 September 4, 2023 While Government House Leader
Stan Cho September 4, 2023 June 6, 2024

References

  1. ^ a b D'Mello, Colin (June 18, 2021). "Doug Ford shuffles cabinet, brings back minister who violated travel guidance". CTV News. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2022-06-25.