This series is one of the bread-and-butter blocs of material in the Whelan fonds, consisting of the minister's record of departmental management. It is significant in extent, comprising 225 volumes of material.
It consists of the following major record blocs:
- Associations, general and specific (volumes 140-141)
- Political , general and constituency (volumes 141-143)
- Minister's personal (volumes 143-144)
- Minister's trips, messages, greetings (volumes 144-154)
- Constituency and Parliamentary, general (volumes 154-156
- Parliamentary: House of Commons, House Questions, Prime Minister, Privy Council and Senate (volumes 154-159)
- Provincial-Federal, non-constituency and non-agricultural issues (volumes 159-167)
- Other Government Departments and programs, in alpha order (volumes 167-227)
The above-named blocs are self-explanatory. They reflect records ancillary to the substantive agriculture-proper files, associated with the Minister's outreach to and connection with individuals and associations with an interest in agriculture, as well as with political aspects any minister's inter-relationship not only with "stakeholders", but also with the political process in the House of Commons, with the formulation of government policy and with politics in general.
The Agriculture Canada "ministerial" files begin following the above blocs. First, though, there are several runs of "general" department-related files, as follow:
- "Agriculture Canada and Agencies - general (volumes 227 -233),"
- a bloc on Agricultural Conferences of Federal and Provincial agricultural minsters (volumes 233-234)
- a bloc on "Agriculture Canada and agencies - Economics" (volumes 234-242)
- a bloc on the World Food Program and the UN (volume 242-248)
- Producer Marketing Co-operatives (volumes 248-249)
- a bloc on Financial and Administration (volumes 249-251)
The Agriculture Canada "ministerial" files begin following the above blocs. First, though, there are several runs of "general" department-related files, as follow:
- "Agriculture Canada and Agencies - general (volumes 227 -233),
- a bloc on Agricultural Conferences of Federal and Provincial agricultural minsters (volumes 233-234)
- a bloc on "Agriculture Canada and agencies - Economics" (volumes 234-242)
- a bloc on the World Food Program and the UN (volume 242-248)
- Producer Marketing Co-operatives (volumes 248-249)
- a bloc on Financial and Administration (volumes 249-251
Interspersed amongst the above records are blocs which reflect both the organization and management of the Agricultural Ministry itself, and very significantly, support programs to Canadian agricultural producers, as follow:
- Agriculture Canada, information, publications and advertising (volumes 265-269)
- Agriculture Canada, personnel and positions (volumes 270-274)
- Agriculture Canada, assistance programs (volumes 293-295)
- Agriculture Canada, crop insurance (volumes 307-311
- Agriculture Canada, marketing services (volumes 312-313)
- Agriculture Canada, research (volumes 313-317)
- Agriculture Canada, Agricultural Stabilization Board (volumes 318-320)
- Agriculture Canada, Farm Credit Corporation (volumes 358-361)
- Agriculture Canada, loans (volumes 361-368)
- Agriculture Canada, Small Farm Development Program (volumes 368-370)
This series is the first of the two "bread-and-butter" series in the Whalen fonds. Each file differs in some measure or other from other files. It would be impossible to cover off in a description everything which a researcher might find in a Whelan file. However, there are archetypal components, as demonstrated by a sample file, File 9-10-2, Agriculture Canada And Agencies - Cattle Price Support Program, 1978 (file 1 of 2), drawn at random from the series, from volume 326.
The file consists of correspondence, faxes, memos, clippings and action transmittal notes. It opens with a request to the Minister from a "departmental" constituent in Alberta (Haney Farms) for a price support and assistance respecting cattle prices. The matter reaches the Prime Minister's office, and the Privy Council becomes involved. Other ministers and MP's address queries from their constituents to the Minister on this issue. Cabinet makes a decision regarding it, reacting to mounting criticism of the government. Whelan's responses to various correspondents (constituents, MP's and Ministers) consist of clarification of government policy, explanation of pricing support and market forces, the Department's remit and limitations, and offers of assistance in special circumstances. Thus, the file sets out government policy in a program area, demonstrates the minister's response and actions, illustrates the political response to the issue (from the centre, the Privy Council and Cabinet involvement), and demonstrates the engagement of the departmental bureaucratic apparatus as the Deputy-Minister is instructed to work with the issue.
The whole of this series consists of such high-grade archival / research records.
