The position has been abolished in almost all provinces in recent decades (Quebec in 1970, Ontario 1985, most recently by British Columbia in 2000); the exceptions are Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia,[1] where it still exists but is no longer a standalone senior portfolio (in Nova Scotia it is held by Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Nova Scotia since 1993, but co-held with Government Services and Consumer Affairs from 1980 to 1993; held by the Premier 1848 to 1878 and Provincial Treasurer 1878 to 1946).
Like its federal counterpart it included an eclectic variety of responsibilities that were not assigned to other ministers, most of which would eventually evolve into portfolios of their own.
Generally, the provincial secretary acted as a province's registrar-general and was responsible for formal documents and records such as licences, birth and death certificates, land registries and surveys, business registrations and writs.
The early provincial secretaries (including Alfred Boyd and Henry Joseph Clarke) were the most prominent elected officials in the province, and are retroactively regarded as premiers in many modern sources.
The provincial secretary continued to oversee miscellaneous government activities into the twentieth-century (Nova Scotia's Public Service Act conferred on the position responsibility for all matters not specifically assigned to any other minister).