In 1981, Michael Langill's position was listed in the Government Directory as Special Assistant; from the documents, it appears that he reported to Patrick Gossage, Press Secretary. From 1982-1984, he was listed in the Government Directory as a Special Assistant under Principal Secretary Tom Axworthy; and continued in this position when John Swift became Principal Secretary, summer 1984.
This sub-series contains various media, including slides, video cassettes, and audio cassettes which were transferred to the appropriate divisions outside of Manuscript Division, and charts and photographs for presentations which were retained within this collection.
This is a very significant sub-series which reflects the involvement of Michael Langill in both the Press Secretary's office and the Principal Secretary's office. This sub-series is arranged into three main blocks:
Prime Minister's Papers
These files are arranged alphabetically by subject within the following sub-groups of addresses, articles, interviews, letters, messages, questions, press releases, remarks, and statements. These files, belonging to the Prime Minister, document Langill's position in the communications part of the PMO, and his continued involvement with preparing communications for the Prime Minister as part of his duties as Special Assistant under the Principal Secretary.
Principal Secretary's Papers (Tom Axworthy)
These files contain correspondence, memoranda, notes, speeches and subject files, which reflect Michael Langill's working association with the Principal Secretary, Tom Axworthy. This sub-series is important to note as a source of information about Axworthy in his role as Principal Secretary.
Working Files
These files focus more closely on Langill's position as a researcher and organizer in the Principal Secretary's office. This sub-series contains Langill's own working files which includes a lot of handwritten notes and annotated documents that illustrate the various assignments he worked on at any one time and over his tenure in the PMO. The most important aspect of the working files is that it outlines from scratch to finish the proposed strategy of the Liberal Party for the upcoming election (1984).
The Michael Langill Staff sub-series, especially the elections, presentations and projects files found in the working files, reflects the political agenda within the PMO, and to a lesser extent, the role of the PMO with other ministers and their offices. This sub-series, in particular, reflects the 1980-1984 gearing-up to the end of the government's term, the preparation of research material for briefing before elections, and the eventual transition from one leader to another. Towards the later part of this period, Langill was increasingly involved in media presentations, for example the PMO video presentations with Tom Axworthy and Rémi Bujold, "Toward Political Recovery 1982-1984".
This sub-series consists of materials which are unique to Michael Langill and his position as the assistant to the Principal Secretary. Similar documents may be found in other series such as the Planning Office (MG 26 O 15) and Communications Office (MG 26 O 14).
