Postmaster General of Canada facts for kids
Credit: Agnes Macdonald, Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe Collection. / Library and Archives Canada / PA-066694
The Postmaster General of Canada was a special government minister in Canada. This person was in charge of the Post Office Department, which later became Canada Post. Think of them as the boss of all mail services for the country!
Before 1851, mail in Canada was handled by Britain's Royal Mail. But in 1851, the job of managing the post office was given to the local governments in places like the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Each of these places then got its own Postmaster General.
When Canada officially became a country in 1867 (this is called Canadian Confederation), one single Postmaster General was created for most of these provinces. Newfoundland kept its own for a while. This important job existed until 1981. That's when the post office changed from being a government department to a Crown corporation called Canada Post. A Crown corporation is a company owned by the government but run more like a business.
Since 1981, Canada Post has been led by a President and CEO, not a Postmaster General. For a short time, from 1900 to 1909, the Postmaster General was also in charge of the Department of Labour, which dealt with workers' rights and jobs. Today, Canada Post reports to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, another government minister.
Who Were the Postmasters General?
Many different people held the job of Postmaster General over the years. They worked under different Prime Ministers, who are the leaders of Canada's government. Here are some of the people who held this important role:
- Alexander Campbell
- under Macdonald (July 1, 1867 – June 30, 1873)
- Alexander Campbell was the very first Postmaster General of Canada after Confederation!
- John O'Connor
- under Macdonald (July 1, 1873 – November 5, 1873)
- Donald Alexander Macdonald
- under MacKenzie (November 7, 1873 – May 17, 1875)
- Sir William Mulock
- under Laurier (July 13, 1896 – October 15, 1905)
- Sir William Mulock was Postmaster General for a long time, serving for almost 10 years!
- Louis-Philippe Pelletier
- under Borden (October 10, 1911 – October 19, 1914)
- Charles Murphy
- under King (December 29, 1921 – June 28, 1926)
- Arthur Sauvé
- under Bennett (August 7, 1930 – August 13, 1935)
- William Pate Mulock
- under King (July 8, 1940 – June 8, 1945)
- Ellen Louks Fairclough
- under Diefenbaker (August 9, 1962 – April 22, 1963)
- Ellen Fairclough was the first woman to be Postmaster General of Canada!
- André Ouellet
- under Trudeau (November 27, 1972 – August 7, 1974)
- under Trudeau (March 3, 1980 – October 15, 1981)
- André Ouellet was the last person to hold the title of Postmaster General before the job was changed.
The End of the Postmaster General Role
After 1981, the Postmaster General position was officially ended. Most of the daily tasks and responsibilities were given to the new President and CEO of Canada Post Corporation. However, some of the legal duties that the Postmaster General used to handle were transferred to a new government role called the Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation. This new minister makes sure that Canada Post follows the laws and serves the public well.
See also
- List of Postmasters General for the Province of Canada
