Ontario. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

• Department of the Provincial Secretary

• Ontario. Provincial Secretary's Dept.

The Office of the Provincial Secretary for Ontario, established by the Constitution Act in 1867 (formerly known as the British North America Act), was renamed the Department of the Provincial Secretary in 1875. Prior to Confederation, however, the position of Provincial Secretary existed for both Upper Canada, from 1791 to 1840, and the Province of Canada, from 1840 to 1867.

Administratively, the Department of the Provincial Secretary was responsible for a wide variety of functions during its existence. Many branches, offices, inspectors and superintendents began their lives under the supervision of the Provincial Secretary, and were later transferred to a host of different departments. The most significant of these included the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities (later named the Reformatories and Prisons Branch), the Liquor License Board of Ontario and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the Office of the Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children, the Bureau of Municipal Affairs, the Bureau of Industries, the Citizenship Division, the Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.

In addition, the Office of the Registrar General, established in 1869, operated for the most part under the aegis of the Department of the Provincial Secretary. The position of Registrar General itself often being filled by the Provincial Secretary.

The Department of the Provincial Secretary continued to exist until 1961, when it was renamed the Department of the Provincial Secretary and Citizenship.

The Provincial Secretary undertook a wide variety of functions relating to many aspects of the Ontario government. One of the primary duties of the Provincial Secretary was to act as Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. In this capacity, the Department of the Provincial Secretary was responsible for receiving and recording all petitions, for the receipt and custody of reports and other documents that came before the legislature, and for storing and maintaining all documents issued under the Great Seal of the Province. The Department of the Provincial Secretary was also responsible for registering such information as records of births, marriages and deaths, and the incorporation and dissolution of corporations. Additionally, the Department was responsible for public welfare until 1930, and for reformatories and prisons until 1946. Services to the Legislature such as the Legislative Library, the Post Office, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and the Speaker's Office were also often located administratively in the Provincial Secretary's Department.

Constitution Act (British North America Act), Statutes of Great Britain 1867, Chap. 3

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

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Annual Reports for the Provincial Secretary's Department

Directory and Guide to the Services of the Government of Ontario, 1950 and 1956

Bishop, Olga. Publications of the Ontario Government, 1867-1900 (1976)

MacTaggart, Hazel. Publications of the Ontario Government, 1901-1955 (1964)

Agency not in Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Archivist(s):
R. Anger