Regional Development Agency (Canada)

In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, diversification, and job creation specific to their respective regions.[1][2]

The seven agencies and their individual regions are:[1]

PacifiCan and PrairiesCan are the two newest RDAs, which were announced by the Government of Canada on 5 August 2021 as the result of splitting Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), which covered British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.[3][4]

The regional development agencies were brought under the Innovation, Science and Economic Development portfolio by the Mulroney government.[5] RDAs were administered by the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages with a Deputy Minister and Parliamentary Secretary assigned to each agency. However, in the cabinet announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following the 2021 Canadian federal election, the RDAs were placed back under control of individual cabinet ministers.[6]

  1. ^ a b Government of Canada, Innovation. "Canada's Regional Development Agencies - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada". www.ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  2. ^ Government of Canada, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (19 May 2021). "Our role - FedDev Ontario". www.feddevontario.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  3. ^ "New Contacts for Regional Development Agencies in British Columbia and the Prairie Provinces". Government of Canada. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  4. ^ Canada, Western Economic Diversification (2021-08-05). "Government of Canada to launch a new Regional Development Agency for the Prairie Provinces". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  5. ^ Prime Minister's Office (2015-11-12). "Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Mandate Letter". Prime Minister of Canada. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  6. ^ "The Canadian Ministry" (PDF). Government of Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2021.