Document Record

Creator

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Title

Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Office of the Comptroller : Letterbooks, 1883-1919
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Office of the Comptroller : Correspondence relating to personnel and recruiting, 1895-1919
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Office of the Comptroller : Correspondence relating to labour organizations and communism

Identifier

lac_mikan_134166
164397
RG 18 A 2
R196-30-5-E
R196-30-5-F
Government
Law and justice
Western Canada
oocihm.lac_mikan_134166

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Language

English

Description

The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a parliamentary police force created in 1873. It was meant to keep law and order among incoming settlers to the region west of Ontario, help Aboriginals make the transition to Indian reserves, and act as a symbol of Canadian sovereignty against American annexation. The police force was partially created in response to Fenian invaders who nearly made it to Manitoba in 1871.
The force added "Royal" to its name in 1904. It was merged with the Dominion Police, the main police force for all points east of Manitoba, in 1920 and was renamed as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The new organization was charged with federal law enforcement in all the provinces and territories, and immediately set about establishing its modern role as protector of Canadian national security, as well as assuming responsibility for national counterintelligence.
This collection consists of letterbooks created and maintained by Frederick White in his capacity as Comptroller of the NWMP and also as ex-officio Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. The letterbooks date from October 12, 1905, to November 4, 1908, and December 24, 1914, to April 19, 1919. There is also correspondence concerning labour organizations, social unrest, military defaulters and communist activities for the period, February 27 to April 19, 1919. There is additionally letterbooks containing replies from the Comptroller to inquiries for enlistment or advancement in the NWMP. Also, there are letterbooks dealing with routine pay increases, deductions, refunds, fines, charges for uniforms and kits, etc., of members of the force. Each letterbook includes an index of the names of members of the force concerned in the transactions. There is also letterbooks containing bank statements, covering letters for cheques, financial balance sheets and similar routine financial matters. Additionally, there is the semi-official correspondence of the Comptroller's Office which complements official correspondence. In addition to routine financial matters, it also contains correspondence relating to liaison matters and public relations such as answers to inquiries from mothers and wives whose sons or husbands went west and were not heard of again. Finally, there are letterbooks of the Comptroller's Office which reflect for the most part the financial responsibilities of the Comptroller, often merely endorsing requisitions or supply orders. The 1897 fire destroyed all letterbooks in this sub-sub-series for the years 1873-1883 and there are also broken periods from 1887-1892.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_134166