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Individuals Responsible for Indian and Northern Affairs
in Canada,
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| Sir William Johnson | 1755-1774 |
| Colonel Guy Johnson | 1774-1782 |
| Sir John Johnson | 1782-1796 |
| 1796 | Responsibility for Indian Affairs (Upper Canada) delegated to the Lieutenant-Governor |
| 1800 | Responsibility for Indian Affairs (Lower Canada) delegated to the Governor General |
| 1816 | Responsibility for Indian Affairs (Upper and Lower Canada) transfered to the Commander of the Armed Forces |
| 1828 | The offices of the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs and of Inspector General of the Department of Indian Affairs abolished. A new post of Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs is established. |
| Major-General H.C. Darling | 1828-1830 |
In 1830, the Indian Department was split into two offices. In Upper Canada, responsibility was transferred to the Lieutenant-Governor, who was assisted by a Chief Superintendent. In Lower Canada, control remained with the Military Secretary.
| Colonel James Givins (Chief Superintendent - Upper Canada) | 1830-1837 |
| Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan C. Napier (Lower Canada) | 1830-1841 |
| Samuel P. Jarvis (Upper Canada) | 1837-1841 |
Governor Generals responsible for Indian Affairs
In 1841, Upper and Lower Canada were reunited into the Province of Canada, which had two regions: Canada West (now Ontario) and Canada East (now Quebec). The two offices of the department were amalgamated and placed under the authority of the Governor General. Although the Governor General was responsible for the department, the day-to-day control of the department was the responsibility of the Governor’s secretary.
| Sir Charles Bagot | 1841-1843 |
| Sir Charles Metcalfe | 1843-1845 |
| Charles Murray, Earl of Cathcart | 1846-1847 |
| James Bruce, Earl of Elgin | 1847-1854 |
| Sir Edmund Head | 1854-1861 |
Commissioners, Crown Lands Department responsible for Indian Affairs
In 1860, responsibility for Indian Affairs was transferred from imperial control to the Province of Canada. The Crown Lands Department assumed responsibility for Indian matters and its Commissioner was appointed Chief Superintendent.
| Philip M.M.S. Vankoughnet | 1860-1862 |
| George Sherwood | 1862 |
| William McDougall | 1862-1864 |
| Sir Alexander Campbell | 1864-1867 |
AFTER CONFEDERATION
Ministers, Secretary of State Canada, and Secretary of State for the Provinces / Superintendents General, Indian Branch
After Confederation, control of Indian matters was assumed by the federal government and responsibility was delegated to the Department of Secretary of State Canada. The secretary held the positions of Registrar General and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. In 1873, these duties and powers were transferred to the Office of Secretary of State for the Provinces.
| Sir Hector L. Langevin | 1867-1869 |
| Joseph Howe | 1869-1873 |
| Thomas N. Gibbs | 1873 |
Ministers, Department of the Interior/Superintendents General of Indian Affairs
In 1873, responsibility for Indian Affairs fell to the Minister of the Department of the Interior, who was also the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. In 1880, an independent Department of Indian Affairs was created, but responsibility for the new department remained with the Minister of the Department of the Interior until 1935, except during two periods. These two periods were between 1883 and 1887, when this portfolio was assigned to the Privy Council and, for a short while in 1930, when the portfolio was assigned to the Department of Immigration and Colonization.
| Sir Alexander Campbell | 1873 |
| David Laird | 1873-1876 |
| David Mills | 1876-1878 |
| Sir John A. Macdonald | 1878-1883 |
| Sir D. L. MacPherson | 1883-1885 |
| Thomas White | 1885-1888 |
| Edgar Dewdney | 1888-1892 |
| Thomas M. Daly | 1892-1896 |
| Sir Hugh J. Macdonald | 1896 |
| Sir Clifford Sifton | 1896-1905 |
| Frank Oliver | 1905-1911 |
| Robert Rogers | 1911-1912 |
| William James Roche | 1912-1917 |
| Arthur Meighen | 1917-1920 |
| Sir James A. Lougheed | 1920-1921 |
| Charles Stewart | 1921-1930 |
| Ian Alistair Mackenzie (Department of Immigration and Colonization) |
1930 |
| Thomas G. Murphy | 1930-1935 |
Ministers, Department of Mines and Resources (Responsible for Indian Affairs Branch)
In 1936, the office of the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs was abolished. Until 1950, the Indian Affairs Branch reported through a director to the Minister of the newly-formed Department of Mines and Resources.
| Thomas Alexander Crerar | 1935-1945 |
| James Allison Glen | 1945-1948 |
| James A. MacKinnon | 1948-1949 |
| Colin Gibson | 1949-1950 |
Indian Affairs
Ministers, Department of Citizenship and Immigration (January 18,
1950)
In 1950, the Indian Affairs Branch was transferred to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, where it remained until 1965. A separate department was responsible for the North (see below). For a brief period (January 1 to October 3, 1966), Indian Affairs also reported to the Department of Northern Affairs and Natural Resources.
| Walter Harris | 1950-1954 |
| John Pickersgill | 1954-1957 |
| Ellen L. Fairclough | 1958-1962 |
| Richard A. Bell | 1962-1963 |
| Guy Favreau | 1963-1964 |
| René Tremblay | 1964-1965 |
| John Robert Nicholson | 1965 |
| Jean Marchand | 1965-1966 |
Northern Affairs
Ministers, Department of Resources and Development (January 18, 1950)
| Robert H. Winters | 1950-1953 |
| Jean Lesage | 1953 |
Ministers, Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources (December 16, 1953)
| Jean Lesage | 1953-1957 |
| Douglas Harkness | 1957 |
| (Francis) Alvin Hamilton | 1957-1960 |
| Walter Dinsdale | 1960-1963 |
| Arthur Laing | 1963-1966 |
Ministers, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, as we know it today, was created in October 1966 by authority of the Government Organization Act.
| Arthur Laing | 1966-1968 |
| Jean Chrétien | 1968-1974 |
| Judd Buchanan | 1974-1976 |
| Warren Allmand | 1976-1977 |
| James Hugh Faulkner | 1977-1979 |
| (Arthur) Jake Epp | 1979-1980 |
| John Munro | 1980-1984 |
| Doug Frith | 1984 |
| David Crombie | 1984-1986 |
| William McKnight | 1986-1989 |
| Pierre H. Cadieux | 1989-1990 |
| Thomas Siddon | 1990-1993 |
| Pauline Browes | 1993 |
| Ronald A. Irwin | 1993-1997 |
| Jane Stewart | 1997-1999 |
| Robert D. Nault | 1999-2004 |
| Andy Mitchell | 2004-2004 |
| Andy Scott | 2004-2006 |
| Jim Prentice | 2006- |
Sources:
Allen, Robert S. “The British Indian Department and the Frontier in North America, 1755-1830.” Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History/Lieux historiques canadiens: Cahiers d’archéologies et d’histoire. No. 14. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1975.
Brown, George W., ed. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.
The Canadian Parliamentary Guide.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. First Nations in Canada. Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services, 1997.
McKay, W.A., ed. The MacMillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: MacMillan of Canada, 1978.
Shortt, Adam and Doughty Shortt, eds. Canada and its Provinces: History of the Canadian People and Their Institutions. Volume 4.
This general information is provided as a brief overview only. The terms of the Indian Act, its regulations, other federal statutes and their interpretation by the courts take precedence over the content of this information sheet.
This is one of a series of information sheets produced by the Communications Branch, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. For information sheets on other topics, contact:
Publications and Public Enquiries
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Ottawa, ON K1A 0H4
Telephone: (819) 997-0380
