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Series part of

Office of the Governor General of Canada fonds [multiple media] (R178-0-5-E)

Accession

1. Central registry files. [textual record: microform]
2. Central registry files [textual record (microform)] [1818-1941]
3. File 14071 index [textual record (microform)] [1914-1920]
4. Governor General's numbered files [textual record (microform)] [1818-1941]
5. Governor General's numbered files [textual record (microform)] [1818-1941]
6. Numbered Files, 1818-1941 [textual record]
7. Governor General's numbered files (indexes) [textual record (microform)]. [1818-1941]
8. Central registry files and press clipping scrapbooks [textual record] (116-000081-X)

Bilingual equivalent

Dossiers numérotés [document textuel]

Date(s)

1818-1941

Place of creation

Canada

Extent

54.95 m of textual records

Language of material

English

Scope and content

Series consists of files from the 1909-1941 central registry system. In 1910, the Governor General's Office reorganized its filing system. The majority of the documents that were in the Office at that time were placed in subject files. All subsequent reports were put into the new system. This system continued until 1941 when the Governor General's Office was moved from the East Block of the Parliament Buildings to Government House. Traditionally the Governor General's Office was responsible, along with the Colonial Office and the British Foreign Office, for the conduct of Canada's foreign relations. In addition, the Governor General held a variety of domestic responsibilities. After Confederation and until the turn of the twentieth century the Governor General continued to play an important role in Canada's domestic and external affairs, but on a diminishing scale. Even though the Office's responsibilities were decreasing, it still remained responsible for the channels of communication between Canada and foreign governments. In addition, the Office continued to collect information on a variety of subjects because the Governor General was still called upon to give advice to the Canadian and British governments. In 1909, the Department of External Affairs was created and those despatches, correspondence and documents which had previously been sent to the Governor General's Office were after 1909 sent to the newly created department. In 1910, the Governor General's Office reorganized its filing system to reflect this change in responsibility. The majority of the documents that were in the Office at that time were placed in subject files. All subsequent reports were put into the new system. This system continued until 1941 when the Governor General's Office was moved from the East Block of the Parliament Buildings to Government House. At that time some of the files were transferred to the National Archives, those files of ongoing interest were placed in the custody of the Department of External Affairs and some files pertaining to matters directly concerning the Governor General, or the King, were taken to Government House. Those files which had been in the custody of the Department of External Affairs were subsequently transferred to the National Archives in 1950. A large block of records pertaining to the First World War was registered as file number 14071. These records consist of 118 volumes for which a separate, detailed finding aid exists, (see volumes 541 to 543, reels T-2335 to T-2336). This index is arranged by year and then by subject. The subject listing indicates the individual file number which one can then find by consulting the RG 7, series G-21 conversion list finding aids 7-12, 7-13, and 7-14.

Conditions of access

Terms of use

Copyright belongs to the Crown. In order to protect the fragile originals, the microfilm copies of these records must be consulted rather than the originals.

Finding aid

The finding aid is in two parts. The first part, created by the Office of the Governor General, is an alphabetical subject index to the files opened and maintained by the Central Registry. The second part is a table which identifies the files preserved by Library and Archives Canada, and the archival references for consulting the records. 7-12 90 (Electronic)
http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000001887.pdf

Additional information

Source

Government

Related control no.

1. 1981-82/137 GAD
2. 1981-82/159 GAD
3. 1982-83/115 GAD
4. 1982-83/116 GAD
5. 1982-83/141 GAD
6. 1985-86/324 GAD
7. 1986-87/011 GAD
8. 1988-89/081 GAD
9. 116-000081-X
10. RG7-G-21
11. RG7-G-26

MIKAN no.

133507