Canada. Royal Commission on Coal (1959-1960) : The Royal Commission on Coal was established under Order in Council P.C. 1293, 6 October 1959, under Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1952, c.154) and on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and make recommendations on: (a) the present and future markets for coal as a source of energy and for other purposes in the various regions of Canada; (b) the steps that can reasonably be taken to reduce the cost of producing coal in the coal producing areas of Canada and the costs of its distribution to Canadian markets; (c) the steps that the Canadian coal producing industry can take to secure as large a market as possible for Canadian coal and to place and maintain the industry on an economic basis; and (d) the measures that can reasonably be adopted by governments to support the economic production, distribution and sale of Canadian coal. The Commissioner was Ivan Cleveland Rand and the Secretary was W. Keith Buck.
In the 1950s there was a marked decline in the use of coal in Canada. Coal was gradually being replaced by other forms of energy, especially gas, oil and hydroelectric power. In this situation, markets for coal were difficult to maintain and the high production of coal was very costly. Because of developed demand, the federal government and some provincial governments increased their financial assistance to the coal mining industry. This aid provided a degree of protection. Instead of importing large amounts of coal from the United States, for example, government assistance provided for the transportation of coal from the Maritimes and the West to central Canada at a reduced rate. This strengthened the competitive position of Canadian coal and promoted its use in the industrial areas of Canada. Government assistance, however, did not provide a long-term solution to the many problems facing the coal industry. On Cape Breton Island, where coal mining was the mainstay of the economy, the mining industry faced the prospect of large reductions causing lay-offs and unemployment. The federal government had to readjust coal production so that the industry could serve future coal markets more efficiently and economically. At the same time, it was hoped that the coal producing areas could find other ways to bolster their economy. Although the Royal Commission on Energy was sitting at the time, the problems facing the coal mining industry were so urgent that the Government of Canada appointed a separate inquiry to study coal as a source of energy. (See House of Commons, Debates, 4 March 1960, p. 1755 and 2 May 1960, pp. 3475-3478).
Hearings of the commission were held in Sydney, Halifax, Fredericton, Montreal, Toronto, Regina, Calgary and Victoria from 2 February to 19 April 1960. The commission received 58 submissions. RG33-42 General Inventory
