Office_of_Women's_Issues

Office of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity

Office of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity

Add article description

For the federal cabinet minister, see Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth.

The Office of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity, formerly the Ministry of the Status of Women (French: Ministère de la Condition féminine, between 2017 and 2018), Ontario Women's Directorate (French: Direction générale de la condition féminine de l'Ontario, prior to 2017) and Office of Women's Issues(French: Office de la condition féminine), between 2018 and 2022 is an office within the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services in the province of Ontario, responsible for women's issues including violence against women and economic inequality.

Quick Facts Agency overview, Preceding agencies ...

It is overseen by the Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity, a member of the Executive Council of Ontario (provincial cabinet). The current minister is Charmaine Williams, appointed in June 2022.

History

The Women's Bureau was created in 1963 in the Department of Labour to foster fuller utilization of the female labour force. In December 1970, the Bureau was given responsibility for administering the Women's Equal Employment Opportunities Act. However, in June 1972, this Act was repealed, and its provisions were incorporated into the Ontario Human Rights Code. As a result, the Women's Bureau was transferred to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 1972. Late in 1973, a Women's Program Division was created within the Ministry of Labour, and the Women's Bureau was transferred back to the labour ministry. In 1978, the Women's Program Division was disbanded, and the Bureau reported directly to the Deputy Minister of Labour.

The Ontario Women's Directorate was established by Premier Bill Davis in 1983, with the appointment of Deputy Premier Bob Welch as the inaugural Minister Responsible for Women's Issues. Glenna Carr was appointed as the first executive director of the Directorate. The Women's Bureau was transferred to the Directorate, and was eventually fully absorbed by the Directorate.

In January 2017, the Directorate was elevated by Ontario's first female Premier Kathleen Wynne to a new stand-alone ministry called the Ministry of the Status of Women, with a dedicated full minister titled Minister of the Status of Women. However, this elevated status was short-lived. In June 2018, Premier Doug Ford downgraded the ministry back to non-portfolio responsibilities, overseen by first the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, then the Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues and now the Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity.

List of ministers

Key:

  Ontario New Democratic Party
  Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
  Ontario Liberal Party
More information Portrait, Name ...
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Office_of_Women's_Issues, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.