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1937-1940 (Creation)
- Creator
- Canada. Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations
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Physical description
1.5 m of textual records (12 boxes)
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Administrative history
The national Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations was established by Privy Council Order-in-Council (P.C.1908) on August 14, 1937 under Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King. Chief Justice Newton W. Rowell of Ontario was appointed chairperson, subsequently replaced by Professor Joseph Sirois of Laval University Quebec City in 1938, with Justice Thibaudeau Rinfret of Supreme Court of Canada, John Wesley Dafoe, lawyer of Winnipeg MB, Professor Robert Alexander Mackay of Dalhousie University Halifax NS, and Professor Henry Forbes Angus of University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC appointed as co-commissioners.
Its mandate was to examine the divisions of power and revenue between the federal and provincial governments; investigate the current taxation system for efficiency and equity; examine the public spending accounts and debts; and to investigate the existing system of federal grants and subsidies paid to the provincial governments. Their goal was to determine the facts of the situation and make recommendations for stabilizing government finances and strengthening the federation of Canada.
The Royal Commission made visits to each provincial premier in September and October 1937 before conducting 85 days of public hearings at Ottawa and at each provincial capital city starting in Winnipeg, MB on November 29, 1937 and ending in Ottawa on December 1, 1938. Only governments, recognized public organizations, and selected individuals were eligible to appear at hearings and/or submit briefs. The Commission collected over 10,000 pages of evidence, 427 exhibits, and 154 briefs.
At the same time as hearings were being conducted, they launched a detailed research programme on the economic history of Dominion-provincial relations including the national income, the financial history of Canadian governments, the economic effects of the Canadian taxation system, the role of municipalities, transportation, social welfare services, and labour legislation. In addition, they researched constitutional and legal matters such as the historical context of Confederation and the growth of governmental functions from 1867 to 1940. They also conducted a comparative study of public finances from questionnaires sent to all provincial Ministers of Finance covering 1915 to 1940.
Professor Joseph Sirois submitted their final report to Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King on May 3, 1940 and the Royal Commission disbanded.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of written briefs submitted from stakeholders (1937-1938); extensive submissions from the provincial governments of British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario (1937-1938); summaries of submissions from New Brunswick and Saskatchewan (1938); 2 copies of the final version of Nova Scotia’s submission (1938); 7 published research reports sponsored by the Royal Commission as well as draft manuscripts for some (1938-1940); partial set of typed hearing transcripts (Feb. 4 to Dec. 1, 1938); and the 3-volume published final report (1940).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Transferred from Nova Scotia Government.
Arrangement
Imposed by archivist.
Language of material
- English
- French
Script of material
Location of originals
Library and Archives Canada.
Availability of other formats
The final report is available online in PDF from Library and Archives Canada: https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/
The fonds has been digitized by Library and Archives Canada. See https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_195
The fonds was microfilmed by Library and Archives Canada in 1974. Nova Scotia Archives purchased a copy in about 1992. See microfilm #267 to #283.
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Copyright held by the Government of Canada (crown).
Copyright in briefs held by individual or group submitting.
See Nova Scotia Archives’ Services page for information on copying, reproduction, and use of materials.
Finding aids
Associated materials
See also Report of the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations 3 vols. (Ottawa, ON: King’s Printer, 1940) in Nova Scotia Archives Library. (Reference number: JL 27 R88 A1)
See also study reports prepared for the Royal Commission published as Appendices to their final report. Nova Scotia Archives Library has Appendix 2 to 8. (Reference number: JL 27 R88 A11)
See also the 20 individually published research reports created by this Royal Commission, in Nova Scotia Archives Library Use search term “Dominion-provincial relations”:
See also Submission by the Government of the Province of Nova Scotia to the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations with “Appendices” (Halifax, NS: King’s Printer, 1938) in Nova Scotia Archives Library. (Reference number: JL 27 R88 A14 N93)
Accruals
General note
Also known as the Rowell/Sirois Commission.