The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) is an

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that s ...

of the

Government of Manitoba The powers and structure of the provincial Government of Manitoba () are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" refers broadly to the cabinet of the day (formally the Executive Council of Manitoba, ...

that provides a system for

workplace injury A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of the ...

and

disability insurance Disability Insurance, often called DI or disability income insurance, or income protection, is a form of insurance that insures the beneficiary's earned income against the risk that a disability creates a barrier for completion of core work func ...

for workers and employers of

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, paid for by employers. Established in 1917 in accordance with ''The Workers Compensation Act'',''The Workers Compensation Act'', C.C.S.M. c. W200
– via ''Manitoba Laws''. which was passed the previous year, WCB's creation was the result of a compromise: injured workers gave up the right to sue employers in exchange for

no-fault insurance In its broadest sense, no-fault insurance is any type of insurance contract under which the insured party is indemnified by their own insurance company for losses, regardless of the source of the cause of loss. In this sense, it is similar to f ...

in the case of work-related injuries or illness, while employers agreed to pay for the system providing they would be protected from lawsuits. One of the problems that workers' compensation was created to solve, namely, the problem of employers becoming insolvent as a result of high damage awards. The system of collective liability was created to prevent that, and thus to ensure security of compensation to the workers. Individual immunity is the necessary corollary to collective liability. WCB is run by a board of directors that consists of 10 members appointed by the Manitoba government from nominations submitted by labour, employers and the public. The

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO) is a non-voting member of the board of directors. , the current chairperson of the board of directors is Michael D. Werier, and the current president and CEO is Richard Deacon. As of 2019, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba has reported to Manitoba's Minister of Finance. WCB's organizational

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

is the Fair Practices Office. SAFE Work Manitoba, a division of the Workers Compensation Board, is a

public agency In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

focused on the prevention of workplace injury and illness.

''The Workers Compensation Act''

''The Workers Compensation Act'' was passed in 1916, establishing the Workers Compensation Board the following year. Assessments under the act are levied upon employers and gathered into a common fund out of which benefits are paid to workers who are injured as a result of their employment. Administration and adjudication are carried out by the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba.

Minister responsible for ''The Workers Compensation Act''

Since 1981, the

Executive Council of Manitoba The Executive Council of Manitoba (), more commonly known as the Cabinet of Manitoba, is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Manitoba. As of 2023, the current cabinet are members of the New Democratic Party, and have been since 2023. Almost ...

has included a Minister responsible for ''The Workers Compensation Act''; however the specific ministerial designation has changed several times over the years, and the current position is not a full cabinet portfolio but rather is held by a minister with other cabinet responsibilities. For instance, most ministers responsible for the ''Workers Compensation Act'' have also been Ministers of Labour, though not necessarily. As of 2019, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba has reported to Manitoba's Minister of Finance. The position was first held by

Jay Cowan Jay Marine Cowan (July 31, 1946 – January 23, 2022) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1977 to 1990, and a Minister (government), cabinet minister in the government of Howard Pa ...

, who, in addition to overseeing other portfolios in cabinet, was designated as Minister responsible for the Workers Compensation Act and Minister responsible for ''The Workplace Safety and Health Act''. In 1983, both positions were incorporated into the new cabinet portfolio of Workplace Safety and Health, the first minister for which was

Gerard Lecuyer Gerard Lecuyer (born August 2, 1936, in Saint Boniface, Manitoba) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988, and a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party government of H ...

, who was also Minister of Environment. In 1991, the Workplace Safety and Health portfolio was eliminated.

List of ministers

{, class="wikitable" !Name !Party !Title(s) !Took office !Left office !Concurrent roles , - ,

, rowspan="3" ,

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National Dev ...

, * Minister responsible for administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' * Minister responsible for administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , November 30, 1981 , November 4, 1983 , *

Minister of Northern Affairs The minister of northern and arctic affairs () is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, Canadian Cabinet. In 1953, the role of Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources was created as a formal successor to the Minister of R ...

* Minister responsible for Environmental Management; administration of Clean Environment Act, The Communities Economic Development Fund Act , - ,

, Minister of Environment and Workplace and Health , November 4, 1983 , May 9, 1988 , , - ,

Harry Harapiak Harry Myrislaw Harapiak (September 17, 1938 – November 14, 2000) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1981 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party gove ...

, Minister of Government Services & Workers Compensation Board , February 4, 1987 , May 9, 1988 , , - ,

Edward Connery Edward James Connery (July 13, 1933 in St. Vital, Manitoba – June 14, 2019) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1986 to 1992, and a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservat ...

, rowspan="5" , PC , * Minister of Environment, Workplace Safety and Health * Minister responsible for ''Workers Compensation Act'' , May 9, 1988 , February 5, 1991 , *

Minister of Labour Minister of labour (in British English) or labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

* Minister responsible for Civil Service Act, Civil Service Superannuation Act and Public Servants Insurance Act , - ,

Darren Praznik Darren Thomas Praznik (born May 9, 1961) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Gary Filmon, and considered running for the party's leadership in 2000. Praznik was born in ...

, Minister responsible for ''Workers Compensation Act'' , February 5, 1991 , May 9, 1995 , * Minister of Labour (1990-1995) * Minister responsible for Civil Service Act, Civil Service Superannuation Act, Civil Service Special Supplementary Severance Benefit Act, Public Servants Insurance Act (1990–1995) * Minister responsible for French Language Services (1991-1995) , - ,

Vic Toews Victor Toews (; born September 10, 1952) is a Canadian politician and jurist. Toews is a justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba. He represented Provencher in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 until his resignation on July 9, ...

, Minister responsible for the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , May 9, 1995 , January 6, 1997 , * Minister of Labour * Minister responsible for Civil Service Act, Civil Service Superannuation Act, Civil Service Special Superannuation Service Benefit Act, and Public Servants Insurance Act , - ,

Harold Gilleshammer Harold Gilleshammer (born April 8, 1942) is a Canadian judge and former politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1988 to 2003, and a Cabinet Minister in the government of Progressive Conservative Premier G ...

, Minister charged with the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , January 6, 1997 , February 5, 1999 , * Minister of Labour * Minister charged with the administration of the Civil Service Act, The Civil Service Superannuation Act, The Civil Service Special Supplementary Severance Benefit Act (1983), The Public Servants Insurance Act , - , Mike Radcliffe , Minister responsible for the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , February 5, 1999 , October 5, 1999 , * Minister of Labour * Minister charged with the administration of the Civil Service Act, The Civil Service Superannuation Act, The Civil Service Special Supplementary Severance Benefit Act (1983), The Public Servants Insurance Act , - ,

Becky Barrett Rebecca Catherine Barrett (May 1, 1942 – January 26, 2024) was an American-born Canadian politician. She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party (NDP ...

, rowspan="6" ,

, Minister responsible for the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , October 5, 1999 , June 25, 2003 , * Minister of Labour * Minister responsible for the administration of The Civil Service Act, The Civil Service Superannuation Act, The Civil Service Special Supplementary Severance Benefits Act (1983), The Public Servants Insurance Act , - ,

Steve Ashton Steven John Ashton (born February 29, 1956) is a British-born Canadian politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a long-serving member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, and was a long-time cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party governme ...

, Minister charged with the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , June 25, 2003 , November 4, 2003 , * Minister of Labour and Immigration * Minister responsible for Multiculturalism , - ,

Nancy Allan Nancy Allan (born July 25, 1952, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party governments of premiers Gary Doer and Greg Selinger. Allan was raised in MacGregor, Manitoba, an ...

, Minister charged with the administration of ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , November 4, 2003 , November 3, 2009 , * Minister of Labour and Immigration * Minister responsible for Multiculturalism * Minister responsible for the Status of Women , - , rowspan="2" , Jennifer Howard , rowspan="2" , Minister responsible for ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , November 3, 2009 , January 13, 2012 , * Minister of Labour and Immigration * Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities * Minister responsible for the Status of Women , - , January 13, 2012 , October 18, 2013 , * Minister of Family Services and Labour * Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities * Minister responsible for the Status of Women * Government House Leader , - ,

Erna Braun Erna Braun is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2007 provincial election, in the electoral division of Rossmere. Braun is a member of the New Democratic Party The New Democ ...

, Minister responsible for ''The Workers Compensation Act'' , October 18, 2013 , May 3, 2016 , * Minister of Labour and Immigration , - ,

Cliff Cullen Clifford James Cullen (born November 8, 1962) is a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Spruce Woods. He was first elected in a by-election held in the summer of 2004, and was re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2016, ...

, rowspan="4" , PC , rowspan="4" , N/A , May 3, 2016 , August 17, 2017 , * Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade , - ,

Blaine Pedersen Blaine Pedersen is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2007 provincial election for the electoral division of Carman. Pederson is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Pe ...

{{Cite web, url=https://www.wcb.mb.ca/annual-report-2017, title = Annual Report 2017 | Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba , August 17, 2017 , October 23, 2019 , * Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade , - ,

Scott Fielding Scott Bradley Fielding (born ) is a former Canadian politician. A city councillor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 2006 to 2014, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2016 provincial election. On September 10, 2019, Sco ...

, August 1, 2018 , January 18, 2022 , *

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, - , Cameron Friesen , January 18, 2022 , January 30, 2023 , *Minister of Finance

References

External links

Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba
Manitoba government departments and agencies Workers' compensation