Canada. Dept. of the Secretary of State. Citizenship Sector : By the Naturalization and Aliens Act of 1881 (44 Vic., c. 13), the Secretary of State was empowered to issue naturalization certificates to government employees. All other requests for naturalization were handled by provincial courts. The Act was amended in 1902 (2 Ed. VIII, c. 23) and, for the first time, court clerks were required to make returns twice a year to the Secretary of State of all certificates granted by them. The Naturalization Branch in the Secretary of State's office was established accordingly. A new Act, passed in 1914 (4-5 Geo. V, c. 44), gave full responsibility for the issuance of naturalization certificates to this department. The name was changed from Naturalization Branch to Citizenship Registration in 1946 and four years later, with the creation of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (13 Geo. VI, c. 16), the Secretary of State relinquished responsibilities in this area, only to resume them in 1966 during a major government reorganization (14-15 Eliz. II, c. 25).
Overall, the Citizenship Sector registers citizenship, and promotes and assists the development of effective Canadian citizenship by encouraging Canadians to exercise their rights as citizens and by improving the opportunities for people in Canada to share traditions and cultural heritages. Note that the citizenship registration / naturalization function of the Secretary of State should not be confused with the general citizenship function represented administratively by the Citizenship Branch. The Citizenship Branch originated as the Nationalities Branch of the Department of National War Services in 1942. The Branch remained with National War Services until 1945, when control of it was transferred to the Secretary of State.