Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario was a senior position in the provincial cabinet
of Ontario
from before Canadian Confederation
until the 1960s.
The Provincial Secretary
and Registrar was originally the second highest position in the provincial cabinet, equivalent to the position of Deputy Premier. The Provincial Secretary was the equivalent of the former Canadian Cabinet position of Secretary of State for Canada
. Like its federal counterpart it included an eclectic variety of responsibilities that were not assigned to other ministers, most of which would eventually evolve into portfolios of their own. The provincial secretary was also responsible for official communications between the provincial government and the Colonial Office
in London
as well as with other provincial and colonial governments (and after 1867 the federal government
). As well, the position also included various duties related to ceremonial occasions, visits by dignitaries, protocol, relations between the government and the office of lieutenant governor
and commemorative events particularly in relation to the monarchy
.
Generally, the Provincial Secretary acted as a province's Registrar-General and was responsible for formal documents and records such as licences, birth and death certificates, land registries and surveys, business registrations and writs. As well, the position was generally responsible for the administration of the civil service and of elections. Provincial secretaries were usually the most senior member of the provincial cabinet outside of the Premier, and the office holder was often designated as Acting Premier when the Premier was out of province, ill or otherwise unavailable. The last individual to hold the position of Provincial Secretary and Registrar (renamed Provincial Secretary and Minister of Citizenship in 1961) was John Yaremko
who left office in 1975.
In 1972 the Progressive Conservative
government of Bill Davis
adopted the provincial secretary title for a non-departmental cabinet portfolio in which the occupant either having responsibility spreading over sevearl ministries, assisting a senior minister in an area or as a secondary portfolio for a senior minister giving him a broader responsibility or mandate area. The three positions created were Provincial Secretary for Social Development, Provincial Secretary for Justice and Provincial Secretary for Resource Development. These positions were unrelated to the original Provincial Secretary position except for the common name. The positions were retained by Davis' successor, Frank Miller
, in 1985 but were abolished when the Progressive Conservatives lost power to David Peterson
's Liberals
in 1985.
, the Provincial Secretary was the most important and powerful figure in provincial politics. The title holder was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor
and many sat as members of the Legislative Council
.
Executive Council of Ontario
The Executive Council of Ontario plays an important role in theGovernment of Ontario, in accordance with the Westminster system....
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
from before Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
until the 1960s.
The Provincial Secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
and Registrar was originally the second highest position in the provincial cabinet, equivalent to the position of Deputy Premier. The Provincial Secretary was the equivalent of the former Canadian Cabinet position of Secretary of State for Canada
Secretary of State for Canada
The position of Secretary of State for Canada was a Canadian Cabinet position with a corresponding department. It was established in 1867 as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London...
. Like its federal counterpart it included an eclectic variety of responsibilities that were not assigned to other ministers, most of which would eventually evolve into portfolios of their own. The provincial secretary was also responsible for official communications between the provincial government and the Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as well as with other provincial and colonial governments (and after 1867 the federal government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
). As well, the position also included various duties related to ceremonial occasions, visits by dignitaries, protocol, relations between the government and the office of lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
and commemorative events particularly in relation to the monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
.
Generally, the Provincial Secretary acted as a province's Registrar-General and was responsible for formal documents and records such as licences, birth and death certificates, land registries and surveys, business registrations and writs. As well, the position was generally responsible for the administration of the civil service and of elections. Provincial secretaries were usually the most senior member of the provincial cabinet outside of the Premier, and the office holder was often designated as Acting Premier when the Premier was out of province, ill or otherwise unavailable. The last individual to hold the position of Provincial Secretary and Registrar (renamed Provincial Secretary and Minister of Citizenship in 1961) was John Yaremko
John Yaremko
John Yaremko was the first Ukrainian-Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was initially elected in the 1951 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament...
who left office in 1975.
In 1972 the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
government of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
adopted the provincial secretary title for a non-departmental cabinet portfolio in which the occupant either having responsibility spreading over sevearl ministries, assisting a senior minister in an area or as a secondary portfolio for a senior minister giving him a broader responsibility or mandate area. The three positions created were Provincial Secretary for Social Development, Provincial Secretary for Justice and Provincial Secretary for Resource Development. These positions were unrelated to the original Provincial Secretary position except for the common name. The positions were retained by Davis' successor, Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
, in 1985 but were abolished when the Progressive Conservatives lost power to David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
's Liberals
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
in 1985.
Pre-Confederation Provincial Secretary
Prior to Confederation and the creation of the office of PremierPremier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
, the Provincial Secretary was the most important and powerful figure in provincial politics. The title holder was appointed by the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
and many sat as members of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
.
Upper Canada
- William JarvisWilliam Jarvis (Upper Canada official)William Jarvis was an American born head of famous Jarvis family of Toronto.Jarvis was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel Jarvis, who was the town's clerk and Martha Seymour. The Jarvis family was forced to flee when his home was seized at the start of the American Revolution...
(1791-1817) Family CompactFamily CompactFully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
(Conservative) - Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of TorontoSir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of TorontoSir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet CB, was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.Robinson was born in 1791 at Berthier, Lower Canada, the son of Christopher Robinson, a United Empire Loyalist of one of the First Families of Virginia, whose grandfather came there in 1641 as...
(1817-1829) Family CompactFamily CompactFully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
(Conservative) - Robert Baldwin SullivanRobert Baldwin SullivanRobert Baldwin Sullivan, QC , was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician who became the 2nd Mayor of Toronto....
(1838-1840)
United Provinces of Canada
- SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Dominick DalyDominick DalySir Dominick Daly was the Governor of Prince Edward Island from 11 July 1854 to 25 May 1859 and later Governor of South Australia from 4 March 1862 until his death on 19 February 1868....
(1844-1848) - former Provincial Secretary of Lower Canada (1827-1840), Canada EastCanada EastCanada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
(1843-1844) - Pierre Joseph Olivier Chauveau (1853-1854) Conservative
- Sir George-Étienne Cartier (1855-1857) Conservative
Provincial Secretary and Registrar
- Matthew Crooks CameronMatthew Crooks CameronSir Matthew Crooks Cameron, QC was a lawyer, judge and politician in the Canadian province of Ontario.He was born in Dundas in Upper Canada, during his studies at Upper Canada College, he lost one leg after a shooting accident. Cameron later articled in law, was called to the bar in 1849 and...
(1867-1871) Conservative - Stephen RichardsStephen Richards (politician)Stephen Richards was an Ontario, Canada lawyer and political figure. He represented Niagara in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1874....
(1871) Conservative - Alexander MackenzieAlexander MackenzieAlexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
(1871) Liberal - Peter GowPeter GowPeter Gow was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1876....
(1871-1872) Liberal - Timothy Pardee (1872-1873) Liberal
- Christopher FraserChristopher Finlay FraserChristopher Finlay Fraser was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Grenville South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1872 to 1879 and Brockville from 1879 to 1894....
(1873) Liberal
- Samuel WoodSamuel Wood (Ontario politician)Samuel Casey Wood was a Canadian businessman and politician, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1871 to 1883, representing the electoral district of Victoria South as a Liberal member. Wood served as provincial treasurer from 1877 to 1883.He was born in Bath in...
(1875-1877) Liberal - Arthur S. HardyArthur Sturgis HardyArthur Sturgis Hardy, QC was a lawyer and Liberal politician who served as the fourth Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1896 to 1899. On January 19, 1870 he married Mary Morrison, daughter of Judge Joseph Curran Morrison.Hardy attended school at the Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, Ontario...
(1877-1889) Liberal - John GibsonJohn Morison GibsonSir John Morison Gibson, KCMG, KC was a Canadian politician and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario....
(1889-1896) Liberal - William BalfourWilliam BalfourWilliam Douglas Balfour was speaker of the Legislature of Ontario in 1895-1896 and served as Liberal MLA for Essex South from 1882 to 1896....
(1896) Liberal - Elihu DavisElihu DavisElihu James Davis was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented York North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1888 to 1904....
(1896-1899) Liberal - James Stratton (1899-1904) Liberal
- George GrahamGeorge Perry GrahamGeorge Perry Graham, PC was a journalist, editor and politician in Ontario, Canada.In the 1898 Ontario provincial election, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and re-elected in 1902 and 1905...
(1904-1905) Liberal - William HannaWilliam John HannaWilliam John Hanna was a lawyer and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Lambton West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1902 to 1919 as a Conservative member....
(1905-1916) Conservative - William McPhersonWilliam David McPhersonWilliam David McPherson was an Ontario barrister and political figure. He represented Toronto West and then Toronto Northwest in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative member from 1908 to 1919....
(1916-1919) Conservative - Harry NixonHarry NixonHarry Corwin Nixon was a Canadian politician and briefly the 13th Premier of Ontario.He was born on a farm near St...
(1919-1923) United Farmers of Ontario - Lincoln GoldieLincoln GoldieLincoln Goldie was an industrialist and politician in Ontario. He represented Wellington South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1923 to 1931 as a Conservative member....
(1923-1930) Conservative - Leopold MacaulayLeopold MacaulayLeopold Macaulay was a Canadian politician and lawyer. Born in Peterborough, Ontario, MacaulayMacaulay was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was first elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Toronto area riding of York South in 1926...
(1930-1931) Conservative - George Challies (1931-1934) Conservative
- Harry NixonHarry NixonHarry Corwin Nixon was a Canadian politician and briefly the 13th Premier of Ontario.He was born on a farm near St...
(1934-1942) Liberal - Norman HipelNorman HipelNorman Otto Hipel was a Canadian politician, noted for his service as Minister of Labour for Ontario in the cabinet of Mitchell Hepburn. He served as MLA for Waterloo South.-Personal background and career:...
(1942-1943) Liberal - Harry NixonHarry NixonHarry Corwin Nixon was a Canadian politician and briefly the 13th Premier of Ontario.He was born on a farm near St...
(1943) as Premier Liberal - George DunbarGeorge Harrison DunbarGeorge Harrison Dunbar was an Ontario political figure. He represented Ottawa South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative and then Progressive Conservative member from 1937 to 1959....
(1943-1946) Progressive Conservative - Roland MichenerRoland MichenerDaniel Roland Michener , commonly known as Roland Michener, was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation....
(1946-1948) Progressive Conservative - Dana PorterDana PorterDana Harris Porter was a Canadian politician and jurist.After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1921, Porter went to England to continue his studies at Balliol College, Oxford from which he graduated with a Master's degree in 1923...
(1948-1949) Progressive Conservative - George WelshGeorge Arthur WelshGeorge Arthur "Art" Welsh DSO & Bar was a Canadian flying ace, farmer and political figure. He represented Muskoka—Ontario in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative member from 1945 to 1955....
(1949-1955) Progressive Conservative - William NickleWilliam McAdam NickleWilliam McAdam Nickle was an Ontario political figure. He represented Kingston in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1951 to 1963 as a Progressive Conservative member....
(1955) Progressive Conservative - George DunbarGeorge Harrison DunbarGeorge Harrison Dunbar was an Ontario political figure. He represented Ottawa South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative and then Progressive Conservative member from 1937 to 1959....
(1955-1958) Progressive Conservative - Mackinnon Phillips (1958-1960) Progressive Conservative
- John YaremkoJohn YaremkoJohn Yaremko was the first Ukrainian-Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was initially elected in the 1951 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament...
(1960-1961) Progressive Conservative
Provincial Secretary and Minister of Citizenship
- John YaremkoJohn YaremkoJohn Yaremko was the first Ukrainian-Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was initially elected in the 1951 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament...
(1961-1966) Progressive Conservative - Robert WelchRobert Stanley WelchRobert Stanley Kemp "Bob" Welch, OC was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts, Bill Davis and Frank Miller.-Early life:Welch was...
(1966-1971) Progressive Conservative - John YaremkoJohn YaremkoJohn Yaremko was the first Ukrainian-Canadian member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was initially elected in the 1951 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament...
(1971-1975) Progressive Conservative
Provincial Secretaries for Social Development
- Robert Welch (1972-1974)
- Margaret Birch (1974-1983)
- Bruce McCaffrey (while Minister of Community and Social Services) (1983)
- Gordon DeanGordon DeanGordon Evans Dean was a Seattle-born American lawyer and prosecutor who served as chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission from 1950 to 1953....
(1983-1985) - Larry GrossmanLarry GrossmanLawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
(1985)
Provincial Secretaries for Justice
- Allan Lawrence (1972)
- George Kerr (1972-1974)
- Robert Welch (while Attorney-General) (1974-1975)
- John ClementJohn ClementJohn Twining Clement was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament in the 1970s for the riding of Niagara Falls, and served a brief stint as Attorney General and Solicitor General of Ontario in 1975 in the cabinet of Premier William G...
(while Attorney-General and Solicitor GeneralSolicitor General of OntarioThe Solicitor General of Ontario was in charge of the Ministry of the Solicitor General of Ontario is responsible for police and other law enforcement agencies in the province...
) (1975) - John MacBeth (1975-1978)
- George Kerr (while Solicitor-General) (1978)
- Gordon WalkerGordon WalkerGordon Wayne Walker is a businessman and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1975, and again from 1977 to 1985. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of William...
(1979-1982) - Norm SterlingNorm SterlingNorman William Sterling is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, having been first elected in 1977....
(1982-1983) - Reuben BaetzReuben BaetzReuben Conrad Baetz was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Baetz was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Baetz was born in Chesley, Ontario...
(1985)
Provincial Secretaries for Resource Development
- Albert LawrenceBert LawrenceAlbert Benjamin Rutter Lawrence MC was a Canadian politician and lawyer.-Education:Born in Calgary, Alberta, Lawrence grew up in Ottawa, Ontario and was educated at Ashbury College in Ottawa, Ontario and at Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.-Career:During World War II,...
(1972-1974) - Allan GrossmanAllan GrossmanAllan Grossman was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, for 20 years, a provincial cabinet minister and the father of the late former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Larry Grossman. Together, the father and son represented the downtown Toronto, Ontario,...
(1974-1975) - Donald Irvine (1975-1977)
- René BrunelleRené BrunelleRené Joseph Napoléon Brunelle was a Canadian politician, who represented Cochrane North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1958 to 1981 as a Progressive Conservative member....
(1977-1981) - Russ RamsayRuss RamsayRussell Harold Ramsay was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1978 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Ramsay was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Ramsay was born in Sault Ste...
(1981-1982) - Lorne HendersonLorne HendersonLorne Henderson was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Henderson was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.He was born in Enniskillen Township, and received a...
(1982-1983) - Norm SterlingNorm SterlingNorman William Sterling is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, having been first elected in 1977....
(1983-1985) - Ernie EvesErnie EvesErnest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
(1985)