Canada. Board of Railway Commissioners : The first Canadian legislation dealing with railways in general rather than with individual corporations was the 1851 Railway Clauses Consolidation Act of the Province of Canada (14-15 Vict. c. 51), which delineated the status, rights, and responsibilities of railways. This Act did not establish any government regulatory body to deal with railways. In the same year the Main Trunk Line Act (14-15 Vict. c. 73), which dealt with the construction of a railway across the province, was passed. This railway was to emerge as the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. As the government was heavily involved in this project, a Board of Railway Commissioners was created under this Act consisting of the Receiver General, the Inspector General, the Postmaster General, and the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Public Works. This Board was intended "to better insure the attainment of the objects ...in this act". Its activities mainly involved the selection of participating companies, the authorization of contracts, guarantees, and subsidies, and the approval of completed construction. The Board had no authority over other railways.
The Accidents on Railways Act (20 Vict. c. 12) of 1857 was the first Canadian legislation to recognize the government's responsibility to guard the interests of the general public by establishing standards for railway construction and operation. Under this Act, the existing Board of Railway Commissioners created under the Main Trunk Line Act of 1851 was now given the power, should inspectors appointed by the Governor in Council report that certain standards had not been met, to forbid the opening or operation of railway lines, to compel railways to construct proper overpasses, underpasses, and level crossings, to require railways to adopt adequate safety devices, and in general, to ensure the safe operation of the railways. The Board was empowered to modify the recommendation of an inspector. The first Inspector of Railways, Samuel Keefer, was appointed in 1857, and his office was part of the Board of Works. His relationship with the Board of Railway Commissioners was to report and to make recommendations. There was no administrative link between the Inspector and the Board; however, the Act did convert the ad hoc Board into a permanent body primarily responsible for railway standards and safety.
The first legislative recognition of railways by the Dominion of Canada was the passage of the Railway Act of 1868 (31 Vict. c. 68). While much of this Act was an updating of the Railway Clauses Consolidation Act of 1851, 25 of the 84 sections dealt with the establishment and duties of the Railway Committee of the Privy Council. The Committee was vested with all rights and powers of the previous Board of Railway Commissioners of the Province of Canada. RG46 General Inventory
