Alberta Record

· Order in Council / Departmental Restructuring · in-force

Establishment of Departments Order 2025

This Order in Council establishes the names and administrative responsibilities of the departments of the Government of Alberta and designates the ministers who will administer them, rescinding a previous order.

High impactCentralization of powerInstitutional independenceHealth system governanceEducationThe public, directlyHealth-care bodiesLegislatureSchools

What changed

  • Establishes 26 departments of the Government of Alberta, including new or reconfigured departments such as 'Hospital and Surgical Health Services' and 'Primary and Preventative Health Services', and designates the Minister responsible for each.
  • Rescinds Order in Council 156/2023, replacing the previous departmental structure and ministerial designations.
  • Establishes new portfolios: Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services, Minister of Education and Childcare, and Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, assigning specific enactments and transferring appropriations from existing ministries.
  • Renames "Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade" to "Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration," assigning responsibility for 23 enactments.
  • Transfers responsibility for internal communications from Treasury Board and Finance to the President of Executive Council.
  • Amends the Ministerial Grants Regulation to add the Ministers of Assisted Living and Social Services, Hospital and Surgical Health Services, and Primary and Preventative Health Services to the list of ministers authorized to administer grants.
  • Expands grant administration authority for the Education portfolio to "Education and Childcare" and the Trade portfolio to "Trade and Immigration," while repealing subclauses (xi), (xii), and (xx) of Section 1(b) of the Ministerial Grants Regulation.

Why it matters

  • Reconfigures the administrative framework of the provincial government, potentially altering lines of authority, accountability, and resource allocation across ministries.
  • Divides health responsibilities into specialized portfolios (Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Primary and Preventative Health Services, Assisted Living and Social Services), indicating a re-segmentation of health governance and service delivery.
  • Integrates childcare responsibilities into the "Education and Childcare" ministry, potentially aligning early learning initiatives with broader educational policy and streamlining related programs.
  • Expands the mandate of the "Jobs, Economy, Trade" ministry to include "Immigration," indicating a strategic focus on immigration's role in economic development and workforce planning.
  • Centralizes internal communications under the President of Executive Council, which may enhance coordination or direct oversight from the Premier's office.
  • Redefines ministerial portfolios responsible for administering grants, potentially impacting the distribution of funding responsibilities and program administration across government.

Rights affected

  • Access to information — The ability to see public records and government decisions.

Other governance concerns

  • Clarity of ministerial accountability for specific portfolios.
  • Potential for shifts in policy direction due to new departmental mandates.
  • Administrative efficiency of the reconfigured government structure.
  • Potential for altered accountability structures due to re-allocation of statutory responsibilities.
  • Impact on coordination of services previously managed under broader ministerial mandates.
  • Changes in ministerial oversight for specific populations (e.g., seniors, persons with disabilities, children) due to new portfolio designations.
  • Clarity of ministerial responsibilities for grant administration.
  • Potential shifts in funding priorities based on new ministerial portfolios.
  • Transparency regarding the specific portfolios removed by repeal.

Primary sources (3)