British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Identity area

Type of entity

Government

Authorized form of name

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

  • Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1872-1976

History

The Dept. of the Provincial Secretary was established in 1872. Prior to that, the origins of this department was in the offices of the Colonial Secretaries for the Colony of Vancouver Island (1863-1866), the Colony of British Columbia (1864-1866) and the united colony of British Columbia (1866-1871). When British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, the name Colonial Secretary remained in place until April 1872 when a Provincial Secretary was named to assume the duties and functions (SBC 1872, c. 15).

The mandate of the Provincial Secretary included all the powers, duties and functions held by provincial secretaries and registrars in other provinces of the Dominion of Canada. They included being the keeper of the Great Seal of the Province, with the authority to issue letters patent and commissions, and being the keeper of all registers and archives of the province and previous governments of the province. As with other departments, it was also the duty of the Provincial Secretary to make an annual report to the Lieutenant-Governor. The first annual report was produced in 1872.

At various times, different agencies have been under the direction of the Provincial Secretary such as treasury and audit branches, Bureau of Mines, gold commissioners, Returned Soldiers’ Commission, Provincial Library and Archives, Provincial Board of Health, Vital Statistics, Provincial Home, and others. In most instances these agencies were later transferred to the control of new ministries established to administer the specific function or functions.

At various times and for varying periods, the Provincial Secretary was responsible for industrial schools, mothers’ pensions, administration of the Infants’ Act, protection of historic sites, and arbitration of labour disputes. In 1947, the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary administered the Civil Service Commission, Government Printing Bureau, Superannuation Commission, mental hospitals, institution farms, homes for the aged, inspector of hospitals, and the Elections Act.

In 1976, with the addition of travel and tourism functions from the Dept. of Recreation and Travel Industry, the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary was renamed the Ministry of the Provincial Secretary and Travel Industry (OIC 3199/76).

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

A Government Name

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

British Columbia. Office of the Provincial Civil Defence Coordinator (1951-1974)

Identifier of related entity

37683

Category of relationship

hierarchical

Dates of relationship

1951-1974

Description of relationship

Related entity

British Columbia. Bureau of Mines (1895-1934)

Identifier of related entity

16196

Category of relationship

hierarchical

Dates of relationship

1895-1899

Description of relationship

Related entity

British Columbia. Colonial Secretary (1871-1872)

Identifier of related entity

101

Category of relationship

temporal

Type of relationship

British Columbia. Colonial Secretary

is the predecessor of

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

British Columbia. Ministry of the Provincial Secretary and Travel Industry (1976-1978)

Identifier of related entity

103

Category of relationship

temporal

Type of relationship

British Columbia. Ministry of the Provincial Secretary and Travel Industry

is the successor of

British Columbia. Dept. of the Provincial Secretary

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

102

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Michael Carter 2008-07-31
Revised: RMCRORY 2021-03-29

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Central Name Authority File

Maintenance notes

Created by: Michael Carter

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