This sub-series consists exclusively of correspondence addressed to the Leader of the Opposition during and shortly after the 1990-1993 period, with certain records bearing the signature of Jean Chrétien as the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada. It contains 45,293 pieces of correspondence, from 30,646 correspondents.
The sub-series also covers the 47 days of the 1993 electoral campaign (which began on August 8), and the activities of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in this context. A number of pieces also date from the start of Jean Chrétien's career as Prime Minister of Canada.
The incoming correspondence of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition offers a glimpse into a segment of Canadian public opinion, citizens from fairly diverse communities and backgrounds voicing their opinions and grievances on various issues of Canadian and international interest, as well as their personal concerns.
In addition to those who share their views as individuals, there is a large number of letters from various businesses, lobbies, associations, and Canadian and foreign politicians. For example, this is the case with Conservative ministers such as: the Honourable Jean Charest, Minister of the Environment; the Honourable Benoît Bouchard, then Minister of Industry, Science and Technology; the Honourable Monique Landry, Minister for External Relations and International Development; the Honourable Perrin Beatty, Minister of Health and Welfare and Communications; the Honourable Doug Lewis, Solicitor General of Canada; Senators such as Jack Austin and Guy Charbonneau; mayors such as Jean Doré, Mayor of Montreal; and ambassadors and embassy representatives from various countries. Several pieces of correspondence are part of an exchange between Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney on, among other things: the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement, and the awarding of service medals to Korean War veterans.
The series contains considerable material on all the major issues that characterized Brian Mulroney's second term of office and helped position Jean Chrétien as leader of the Official Opposition Liberal Party.
This was the case for the entire debate on the reform of Canada's Constitution, with the Meech Lake failure still fresh in Canadians' minds (as well as the debate on another constitutional agreement, which ended in the definitive rejection of the Charlottetown Accord following the October 26, 1992, national referendum). In the context of this constitutional debate, the specific case of Quebec is often addressed (Allaire Report; Bélanger-Campeau Commission; possible referendum on sovereignty), as well as the issue of aboriginal and Métis land rights. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a key issue in the 1988 election, came into force on January 1, 1989. In the context of an economic recession, the FTA continued to draw strong criticism. The pursuit of trade liberalization policies by the Mulroney government, which then negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA (this time including Mexico), was the focus of considerable and polarized correspondence. The same was true for privatization, and for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which came into force on January 1, 1991. Prime Minister Mulroney's appeal to Senators to pass the GST bill in the upper chamber is also addressed. In the area of national defence, policy uncertainties (re: adapting to the post-Cold War context, etc.) are evident. Canada's participation in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, the deployment of Canadian troops to the former Yugoslavia, and the purchase of 50 EH-101 helicopters are frequent topics of discussion. Lastly, major issues in Canadian society (especially the debate on abortion) receive considerable attention in this sub-series.
While replies by the Correspondence Unit of the Leader of the Opposition are rarely very detailed (unless they contain official speeches), they nonetheless help to track the positions it adopted and, often, to identify underlying electoral strategies. This is especially true for files dating from the 1993 electoral campaign. In this sense, the sub-series also sheds light on the way the Office of the Leader of the Opposition managed correspondence. Its records were also regularly annotated by existing staff, and it contains advice and feedback from Eddie Goldenberg (sometimes initialled by Jean Chrétien).
The documentary art contained in this series consists of various works and objects received by Jean Chrétien in the context of his activities as Leader of the Opposition. It consists of seven buttons, one pin, 5 posters, 1 sticker, and one insignia bearing the messages of various political, social and cultural groups or movements. It contains material from, among others, GST opponents, the family of Christopher Stephenson, First Nations, and Canadian citizens concerned about national unity. The series also contains one watercolour sent to Jean Chrétien by a citizen concerned about anti-Macedonian demonstrations in North York, Ontario.
