{{Short description, Former Canadian cabinet minister Postmasters General of Canada 1831 to 1929

The Postmaster General of Canada was the

Canadian cabinet The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the ...

minister responsible for the Post Office Department (

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

). In 1851, management of the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

was transferred from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

( Royal Mail) to the provincial governments of the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Newfoundland,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. The position of

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...

was established in each province. With

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...

in 1867, a single position was created replacing this post in all of the above provinces except Newfoundland; this position was abolished in 1981 when the post office was transformed from a

government department Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." Энцикло� ...

into a crown corporation. Since 1981 Canada Post has been led by a President and CEO. From 1900 until 1909 the Postmaster General was also responsible for the

Department of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

. It now reports to the

Minister of Public Services and Procurement The minister of public services and procurement (french: ministre des services publics et de l’approvisionnement) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's "common service ...

Postmasters General

; Alexander Campbell : under MacDonald (July 1, 1867 – June 30, 1873) ; John O'Connor : under Macdonald (July 1, 1873 – November 5, 1873) ;

Donald Alexander Macdonald Donald Alexander Macdonald (February 17, 1817 – June 10, 1896) was a Canadian politician. Born in 1817 in St. Raphael's, Upper Canada, Donald Alexander Macdonald studied at St Raphael's College under the first Catholic Bishop of Ontar ...

: under

MacKenzie Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a S ...

(November 7, 1873 – May 17, 1875) ;

Télesphore Fournier Télesphore Fournier, (August 5, 1823 – May 10, 1896) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, and judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Lower Canada (now Quebec), the son of Guillaume Fournier an ...

: under Mackenzie (May 19, 1875 – October 7, 1875) ;

Lucius Seth Huntington Lucius Seth Huntington, (May 26, 1827–May 19, 1886) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and political figure. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada representing Shefford from 1867 to 1882. He also served as President ...

: under Mackenzie (October 9, 1875 – October 8, 1878) ;

Hector Louis Langevin Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, (August 25, 1826 – June 11, 1906) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation. Early life and education Langevin was born in Quebec City in 1826. He studied law and was called to th ...

: under Macdonald (October 19, 1878 – May 19, 1879) ;Sir Alexander Campbell : under Macdonald (May 20, 1879 – January 15, 1880) (second time) ;John O'Connor : under Macdonald (January 16, 1880 – November 7, 1880) (second time) ;Sir Alexander Campbell : under Macdonald (November 8, 1880 – May 18, 1881) (third time) ;John O'Connor : under Macdonald (May 20, 1881 – May 22, 1882) (third time) ;

John Carling Sir John Carling, (January 23, 1828 – November 6, 1911) was a Canadian politician and prominent businessman who was associated with the Carling Brewery in London, Ontario. The Carling family and its descendants later resided in Ottawa, Mo ...

: under Macdonald (May 23, 1882 – September 24, 1885) ;Sir Alexander Campbell : under Macdonald (September 25, 1885 – January 26, 1887) (fourth time) ;

Archibald McLelan Archibald Woodbury McLelan (20 December 1824 – 26 June 1890) was a Canadian shipbuilder and politician, the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. McLelan was born in Londonderry, Nova Scotia, the son of member of the Nova Scotia ...

: under Macdonald (January 27, 1887 – July 9, 1888) ;John Carling : under Macdonald (July 11, 1888 – August 5, 1888) (second time) ;

John Graham Haggart John Graham Haggart, (November 14, 1836 – March 13, 1913) was a Canadian politician. Haggart served as a Member of Parliament from 1872 to 1913. This forty-year period of service in the Commons is the second-longest in Canadian history, ...

: under Macdonald (August 6, 1888 – June 6, 1891) : under Abbott (June 16, 1891 – January 24, 1892) ;Sir Joseph Philippe René Adolphe Caron : under Abbott (January 25, 1892 – November 24, 1892) : under

Thompson Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia *Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada * ...

(December 5, 1892 – December 12, 1894) ;

Louis-Olivier Taillon Sir Louis-Olivier Taillon (September 26, 1840 – April 25, 1923) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was the eighth premier of Quebec, serving two separate terms. Political career Taillon's first term of office was just four days, from J ...

: under

Mackenzie Bowell Sir Mackenzie Bowell (; December 27, 1823 – December 10, 1917) was a Canadian newspaper publisher and politician, who served as the fifth prime minister of Canada, in office from 1894 to 1896. Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, E ...

(December 21, 1894 – July 8, 1896) ;Sir

William Mulock Sir William Mulock (January 19, 1843 – October 1, 1944) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, educator, farmer, politician, judge, and philanthropist. He served as vice-chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1881 to 1900, negotiating th ...

: under Laurier (July 13, 1896 – October 15, 1905) ; Allen Bristol Aylesworth : under Laurier (October 16, 1905 – June 3, 1906) ;

Rodolphe Lemieux Rodolphe Lemieux (November 1, 1866 – September 28, 1937) was a Canadian parliamentarian and long time Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (1922–1930). Biography He was born in Montreal as the son of a Customs officer. After a c ...

: under Laurier (June 4, 1906 – August 10, 1911) ; Henri Sévérin Béland : under Laurier (August 19, 1911 – October 6, 1911) ;Louis-Philippe Pelletier : under Borden (October 10, 1911 – October 19, 1914) ; Thomas Chase-Casgrain : under Borden (October 20, 1914 – December 29, 1916) ;Pierre Édouard Blondin : under Borden (January 8, 1917 – July 10, 1920) : under Meighen (July 10, 1920 – September 20, 1921) ;Louis-de-Gonzague Belley : under Meighen (September 21, 1921 – December 29, 1921) ; Charles Murphy : under

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

(December 29, 1921 – June 28, 1926) ;

Robert James Manion Robert James Manion (November 19, 1881 – July 2, 1943) was a Canadian politician who led the Conservative Party of Canada from 1938 to 1940. Prior to his leadership of the party, he served in Prime Minister Arthur Meighen and R.B. Benn ...

: under Meighen (August 23, 1926 – September 25, 1926) ; Peter John Veniot : under King (September 25, 1926 – August 7, 1930) ; Arthur Sauvé : under Bennett (August 7, 1930 – August 13, 1935) ;Samuel Gobeil : under Bennett (August 16, 1935 – October 23, 1935) ; John Campbell Elliott : under King (October 23, 1935 – January 22, 1939) ;Norman Alexander McLarty : under King (January 23, 1939 – September 18, 1939) ;Charles Gavan Power : under King (September 19, 1939 – May 22, 1940) ;James Lorimer Ilsley : (acting) : under King (May 23, 1940 – July 7, 1940) ;William Pate Mulock : under King (July 8, 1940 – June 8, 1945) ;Ernest Bertrand : under King (August 29, 1945 – November 15, 1948) : under St. Laurent (November 15, 1948 – August 23, 1949) ; Gabriel Édouard Rinfret : under St. Laurent (August 25, 1949 – February 12, 1952) ;Alcide Côté : under St. Laurent (February 13, 1952 – August 7, 1955) ;Roch Pinard : (acting) : under St. Laurent (August 16, 1955 – November 2, 1955) ;

Hugues Lapointe Hugues Lapointe (March 3, 1911 – November 13, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer, Member of Parliament and Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1966 to 1978. Life and career Born in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, the son of the Canadian Member of ...

: under St. Laurent (November 3, 1955 – June 21, 1957) ;

William McLean Hamilton William McLean Hamilton, (February 23, 1919 – June 7, 1989) was a Canadians, Canadian politician. Biography He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father, Ernest Hamilton (lacrosse), Ernest Hamilton, was a lacrosse player who won a ...

: under

Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electio ...

(June 21, 1957 – July 12, 1962) ; John Angus MacLean : (acting) : under Diefenbaker (July 18, 1962 – August 8, 1962) ; Ellen Louks Fairclough : under Diefenbaker (August 9, 1962 – April 22, 1963) ; Azellus Denis : under

Pearson Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

(April 22, 1963 – February 2, 1964) ;

John Robert Nicholson John Robert "Jack" Nicholson, (December 1, 1901 – October 8, 1983) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician and the 21st Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick (now Miramichi), he graduated from ...

: under Pearson (February 2, 1964 – February 14, 1965) ;

René Tremblay René Tremblay, (November 12, 1922 – January 22, 1968) was a Canadian politician. Born in Luceville, Quebec, he was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada representing the riding of Matapédia—Matane in the 1963 federal el ...

: under Pearson (February 15, 1965 – December 17, 1965) ;

Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Côté Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

: under Pearson (December 18, 1965 – April 20, 1968) : under Trudeau (April 20, 1968 – July 5, 1968) ; Eric William Kierans : under Trudeau (July 5, 1968 – April 28, 1971) ;Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Côté : under Trudeau (April 29, 1971 – November 26, 1972) (second time) ;

André Ouellet André Ouellet (), (born April 6, 1939) is a former longtime Liberal federal politician and Cabinet member in Canada. Following his political career, he served as chairman of Canada Post. First elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a ...

: under Trudeau (November 27, 1972 – August 7, 1974) ; Bryce Stuart Mackasey : under Trudeau (August 8, 1974 – September 13, 1976) ;

Jean-Jacques Blais Jean-Jacques Blais, (born June 27, 1940) is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nipissing in the House of Commons of Canada from 1972 to 1984. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Born in Sturgeon Falls, O ...

: under Trudeau (September 14, 1976 – February 1, 1978) ;

Gilles Lamontagne Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne (; April 17, 1919 – June 14, 2016) was a Canadian politician and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Early life He was born in Montreal. During World War II, Lamontagne served as a bomber pilot in ...

: under Trudeau (February 2, 1978 – June 3, 1979) ;

John Allen Fraser John Allen Fraser, (born December 15, 1931) is a Canadian retired parliamentarian and former Speaker of the House of Commons. Fraser was born in Yokohama, Japan, where his father was working as a lumber salesman. His parents returned to Britis ...

: under

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

(June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980) ;

: under Trudeau (March 3, 1980 – October 15, 1981) (second time) Canada Post Corporation has had its own CEO and President since 1981, who has most of the administrative responsibilities previously exercised by the Postmaster General. With the abolition of the position of Postmaster General the legislative and certain other duties previously exercised by the Postmaster General were transferred to the new position of

Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation The Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation is a member of the Canadian Cabinet responsible for Canada Post, Canada Post Corporation, the federal Crown corporation responsible for Canada's Mail, postal service. The position was created in 1 ...

External links

A Chronology of Canadian Postal History

Postmasters General

See also

External links