Identity area
Type of entity
Primary Agency
Authorized form of name
Canada. Dept of the Interior
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- Dept. of the Interior
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1873-1936
History
In 1869, the Government of Canada finalized an agreement with the Hudsons Bay Company to acquire Ruperts Land from the Hudsons Bay Company, an area that incorporates all of the present-day provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, part of British Columbia and all of Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. To centralize the administration and promote the settlement and development of this newly-acquired territory, the Department of the Interior was established by the federal government in 1873. During its 63 years of existence, the Department established a multitude of branches and sub-agencies, with most focused on its core areas of operation related to land sales and survey, First Nations and Métis relations, natural resource development and immigration in western Canada. For periods of time, the Department also administered functions of government that involved operations in all areas of the country, such as immigration, museums, national parks, tourism and geological surveys. Several branches operated within the Department of the Interior evolved into separate agencies or departments of the federal government, including Indian Affairs, Immigration, the Geological Survey of Canada, Parks Canada, and the North-West Mounted Police.
In 1930, the federal government transferred all responsibility for crown land and natural resource administration to the provinces. In Saskatchewan, these functions were assumed by the Department of Natural Resources. The Department of the Interior ceased to exist on December 1, 1936. Its remaining functions were amalgamated with those of the Departments of Mines, Immigration and Indian Affairs to create the Department of Mines and Resources.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Department of the Interior was created in 1873. A major function of the Department was the administration of the Dominion Lands Act of 1872, including land surveying, title registration, and the administration and development of natural resources in all parts of western Canada except southern British Columbia. The Department also controlled relations with First Nations and Métis peoples including treaty negotiations, promoted immigration to the Canadian west, and established land reserves for First Nations peoples, the railway companies, the Hudson's Bay Company, towns, research stations, churches, and schools. In 1930, the Department transferred responsibility for the registration of land patents and administration of natural resources to the provinces, who then took over jurisdiction of the patented and unpatented crown lands. With the transfer of these responsibilities, the Department devolved many of its duties and was ultimately dissolved in 1936.
Mandates/sources of authority
An Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Dept. of the Interior (SC 36Vic[1873], c.4).
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
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Type of relationship
is the predecessor of
Canada. Dept of the Interior
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Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Rules for Archival Description (RAD)
Status
Final
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Authority record created on 2008-03-05. Approved 2012-01-24. Last modified on 2017-11-29.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Records of the Department of the Interior and Research concerning Canada's Western Frontier Settlement, Irene M. Spry and Bennett McCardle, 1993.
Dept. of Natural Resources Annual Report, 1930.
CAIN Entry No. 257617, Dept. of the Interior fonds, National Archives of Canada.