Creating a New Department of National Health and Welfare

On June 19, 1944, Mackenzie King introduced legislation to create a new Department of Social Welfare, but he got permission from the Commons to call the new entity the Department of National Health and Welfare, in recognition of the history of the Department of Pensions and National Health. In fact, the government had already removed veterans’ pensions from the department, because it had created a new Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that Canada’s fighting forces were better treated than they had been after 1918. The welfare section of the new health department was charged with administering the family allowance programand other federal social programs, such as assistance for the blind. The health section was legally obligated to continue with the functions that it had previously performed, but it was also expected to provide expert advice and guidance on health insurance. The new Deputy Minister of Health was Dr. Brock Chisholm, an eminent army psychiatrist, who was committed to improving the physical and mental health of Canadians.

Dr. Brock Chisholm in his Canadian army general staff uniform, National Defence Headquarters, 1942.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Archives, Canadian Mental Health Association Fonds, 6-P27