Ontario. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship

• Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship

The Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship was established by an Act of the Ontario Legislature in January 1961, replacing the former Department of the Provincial Secretary.

In addition to the establishment of a Citizenship Branch, this new Department was also given jurisdiction over the Office of the Speaker, along with related offices such as the Government Caucus Office, the Opposition Office and the New Democratic Office. Although these formally were part of the Department, it represented more of an administrative convenience than an alteration of the function of the Provincial Secretary's Department.

Other offices and agencies attached to the Department were the Registrar General's Office, the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, the Recording Office, the Marriage Office, the Legislative Library, the Queen's Printer, the Community Development Branch and the Indian Community Branch.

On April 1, 1972 the government of Ontario was altered profoundly as new Ministries were created replacing all existing Departments. The Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship ceased to exist and its functions were dispersed to several different Ministries.

The Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship was responsible for a variety of programs and functions concerned with the acquisition of civil information and the custody and care of certain government documents. As the Registrar General, the Provincial Secretary and Minister of Citizenship was responsible for matters relating to the registration of births, marriages and deaths in accordance with the provisions of the Vital Statistics Act. In addition, the Department was responsible for the custody of records of documents issued under the Great Seal of Ontario, the Privy Seal of the Lieutenant Governor, and the seal of the Provincial Secretary. Through the Citizenship Branch, the Department was also responsible for assisting in the integration of immigrants to the province through the provision of resource materials, advisory services, and language and citizenship classes.

The Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship Act, Statutes of Ontario 1961, Chap. 20

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Directory and Guide to the Services of the Government of Ontario, 1967

Archivist(s):
R. Anger