These files are, in content and in chronology, fully related to Allan J. MacEachen's tenures of the office of President of the Privy Council over two periods, from 1970 to 1974 and from 1976 to 1979. As President of the Privy Council, MacEachen was charged with delivering the Government's program. This meant that the preparation of legislation and its passage through the House became his main responsibility and concern. The record here, then, reflects these responsibilities and preoccupations and includes MacEachen's Office material on House of Commons-related procedures, reforms, and committees, as well as collections of speeches and press clippings, general correspondence, subject files and Cabinet material. Fundamentally, the papers were grouped either by some external unifying indicator (such as the "blue-tabbed files", or by function or theme relevant to Privy Council activities and operations. The "blue-tabbed" may have been a run maintained by a specific staffer - there is no indication at all in existing control information on who that might have been. The other files may have been simply working files of various staffers maintained in various Cabinets, and when prepared for transfer to LAC, carelessly dumped into various boxes.
The series is composed of twelve sub-series, Sub-series 1. Aggregated Files from Minister's Office, Sub-series 2. Memoranda on House of Commons Procedure, Sub-series 3. Blue-Tabbed Files - Various Subject Files, Sub-series 4. Blue-Tabbed Files - Major Issues Subject Files, Sub-series 5. House of Commons Operations, Sub-series 6. House of Commons - Major Legislative Undertakings / Reforms, Sub-series 7. House of Commons - Legislative Unit and Preparation of Legislation, Sub-series 8. House of Commons - Committees / Operations and Committee Reform, Sub-series 9. Correspondence, Sub-series 10. Speeches and Press Clippings, Sub-series 11. Various Subjects and Sub-series 12. Cabinet Material.