Canada. Dept. of Railways and Canals : The Department of Railways and Canals existed legally as a department from 1879 to 1936. It was created on May 15, 1879 (42 Vict., c.7, s. 4-5) when the Department of Public Works was divided up. The new department came under the direction of a minister appointed by commission and who was a member of the Privy Council. The department was composed of two branches, the Railway Branch and the Canal Branch, each directed by a Chief Engineer. On November 2, 1936, (1 Edw. VIII, ch. 34), the Department of Railways and Canals was amalgamated with the new Department of Transport to group together all of the federal government's transport-related activities.
The Minister of Railways and Canals was responsible for the administration and control of all railways and all attendant or related work and properties which, prior to the passage of the Act, were or could have been immediately under the administration and control of the Department of Public Works and subject to the provisions of the act to the same extent and to the same provisions.
The Railway Branch was responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of government-owned railways and telegraph networks, particularly the CPR, the Intercolonial Railway and the P.E.I Railway. The Canal Branch assumed similar responsibilities for the following canal and navigation systems: the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, the Ottawa River, the Trent and Richelieu Rivers and the St.Peter's and Rideau Canals.
The Minister of Railways and Canals reported on his activities to Parliament. He managed his own budget for the construction and operation of Dominion-owned railways and canals. The department was given an official organizational structure from the time it was created and was later changed as new responsibilities were added..
In addition to the Minister and the Deputy Minister, there was a Chief Engineer for the railways and one for the canals, both of whom were responsible for the engineering plans and specifications for construction and restoration projects, an Accountant, and a Secretary responsible for the general administration of the department including record keeping, contracts and reports. The department employed a large "outside service" to operate the government-owned railways and canals.
In 1906, a Statistical Branch, which reported to a Comptroller, was created to gather and compile data on canals and railways. Three years later, the department was reorganized and expanded. It then consisted of five major branches, the Secretary's, Legal, Statistical, Accountant's and Chief Engineer's Branches. In 1912, the Office of the Assistant Deputy Minister was created to oversee general administration.