Regional Development Agency (Canada)
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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]
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) — New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island
- Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) — Quebec
- Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) — southern Ontario
- Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) — northern Ontario
- Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) — Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
- Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) — British Columbia
- Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) — Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
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]