[citation needed][needs update] According to the Public Appointments Secretariat, As of January 5, 2025[update] the Ministry is affiliated with the following Agencies:[1] Responsibilities for economic development in the Ontario government shifted over time as the province's economy evolved.

"Arts", at the time, referred to the practical application of an industrial, manufacturing, or scientific pursuit, rather than to its current meaning.

Over time, the department was mandated to work with agricultural, industrial, labour, mining, trade and other associations and organisations and with public and private sector enterprises in order to create and maintain productive employment and to develop the human and material resources of the province.

In addition to trade and industry, the department at various times also had responsibilities over immigration, community planning, conservation, civil defence/emergency management.

The ministry subsequently went through frequent name changes in the following decades, reflecting shifting economic and political priorities of the governments of the day.