These files are subject files, holding correspondence, memoranda and informational material. The files reflect major health issues of the day, such as tobacco, cigarettes and the dangers of smoking, as well as narcotics, abuse of drugs and drug addictions. The files show government attempts at regulation and policies to alleviate health threats to the public.
Allan J. MacEachen, as Minister of Health and Welfare, was also Minister for Amateur Sport, so one finds here files reflecting the government's policies regarding regulation of certain sports (such as boxing), as well as the promotion of sports for their public health benefits (such as the Saskatchewan Geriatric Games and The Canadian Fitness Council).
As with virtually all MacEachen series and sub-series, there is a considerable amount of cross-over and overlap in these records. In this sub-series, there are files on the Liberal Party, on the Emergency Gold Mining Act, and clusters of papers on the House of Commons. Particularly useful are MacEachen's date books for the years he was Health Minister. And assuredly, as with every document run in this fonds, there are files on Nova Scotia (such as the Atlantic Development Board, the Dominion Steel and Coal Company / Sydney Steel and the Nothumberland Strait Crossing).
But the most valuable files, for research, relate to the important issues of the mid- to late-1960s, Old Age Security, Income Guarantee and Guaranteed Income Supplement and files on Medicare. Memoranda, correspondence, reports, notes and so on explain how these programs were realized. Additionally, there are volumes of MacEachen's speeches which elucidate how the Minister worked towards the realization of these programs, as well as files of well-organized press clippings files that provide a rich, national context for this era and these programs.
