Canadian Maritime Commission : During the Second World War, there was an enormous expansion of Canadian shipping activity, most of which was stimulated or created by the federal government through such wartime agencies as the Canadian Shipping Board, the Office of the Transport Controller, the Directorate of Merchant Seamen and Wartime Shipbuilding Ltd. By 1947, these agencies were inactive or had been dissolved.
Following the disbandment of the wartime organizations, government control and regulation of shipping reverted to its pre-war status. In order to prevent a major post-war decline in the expanded Canadian shipping industry, the government decided to create a new permanent body, the Canadian Maritime Commission (11 Geo. VI, c. 52) in 1947. It was responsible for administering steamship subsidies, investigating and studying all aspects of the Canadian shipping and shipbuilding industries and recommending to the Minister of Transport policies for the preservation and development of the industry. The Commission consisted of a Chairman, two Commissioners and four branches.
The Canadian Maritime Commission was responsible for the Park Steamship Company. This company, which had been founded in 1942, was one of the main publicly-owned organizations dealing with maritime transportation. It supervised the operation of ships belonging to the Government of Canada during World War II and the immediate post-war period. When the Commission was formed, its Chairman became the President of the Company. Most of the company's vessels had already been sold and all were disposed of by 1956. Subsequent activities were limited to seamen's compensation claims and insurance payments until the company was dissolved in January 1965. The Canadian Maritime Commission then assumed the remaining functions.
In view of the constant decline of the Canadian shipping industry, the Commission's activities over its 20-year existence were largely confined to the payment of subsidies and subventions and the preparation of reports. There was no requirement to regulate competition or to approve tariffs and rates, as was the case with other modes of transport.
In 1949, the Commission was given the responsibility for administering the Canadian Vessels Construction Act (13 Geo. VI, c. 11) which was designed to stimulate the Canadian shipbuilding industry through the payment of subsidies. This Act was repealed on March 23, 1967, and some of its provisions were incorporated into the Income Tax Act. On February 2, 1965 shortly before the legislation was repealed, an interdepartmental committee was formed to review the policy of extending assistance to the shipbuilding industry. The committee's work resulted in a new program which took effect on January 1, 1966. Aside from new subsidy rates, this program transferred the responsibility for administering ship construction subsidies from the Canadian Maritime Commission to the Department of Industry.
In 1967, the Canadian Maritime Commission merged with the Canadian Transport Commission which had just been created with the passage of the new National Transport Act.
