This series consists of files largely from Whelan's years as a one-term Senator. They comprise every type of document conceivable - correspondence, memos, news clippings (some in original form, most of them xeroxed), reports, some Senate bills, informational material, print and near-print and so on.
The Series is filed in alpha order, by subject, which could be a thematic subject, or an individual (by surname), an event, an association or corporation, and so on. For some letters of the alphabet, there are clusters of "general correspondence". The correspondence, whether general or filed under agency / corporation / individual, deals with either Whelan's personal activities or his business activities, but within the context of his political contacts.
Many of the files are wholly informational. For example, the 5 files in volume 800 under "Agriculture" consist virtually wholly of clippings and xeroxes. There are few files on the Senate committees on which Whelan served, and in fact very few files on the Senate and its activities proper.
A sub-text to this whole series are AIDAC files, files of the Agricultural International Development Association of Canada. This corporation was founded by Whelan after he left the House of Commons, with Whelan as President, and Linda Clifford, his former ministerial chief-of-staff, as Secretary-Treasurer. The corporation was a private venture, pursuing the promotion of agricultural development and trade within Canada and internationally. There are a cluster of AIDAC files proper in volumes 802-803, which demonstrate the purpose and activities of AIDAC.
Given Whelan's life-long activity in / with agriculture, it is not surprising that most of the files in this series deal with agriculture in some mode or other. Thus, the clustering of agricultural files happens naturally. There is a file cluster in volumes 808-809 which deals with environment and holds information on issues from biomass to Dutch Elm tree disease to tree recycling to sedimentation systems.
Other blocs of note. There is a large cluster of files in volumes 806-807 under the sub-unit "Countries". These concern countries of interest to Whelan, many of them formerly Communist, most of which he visited to promote Canadian interests. These files hold reports, learned papers, informational material (brochures and pamphlets), as well as some correspondence, not only on agricultural matters but on the issue of agrarian and market reforms as these countries sought to transit out of controlled economies. There is a cluster of files under "Federal Correspondence" in volumes 809-810, which captures Whelan's dealings with significant Liberal parliamentarians. These files are, generally speaking, informational files on certain projects which Whelan was pursuing. As mentioned above, AIDAC is a sub-text throughout this series - one finds many AIDAC-connected files throughout the two above blocs. The same can be said of a cluster of 4 "Ukraine" files in volume 819, again addressing issues of agricultural reform in Ukraine and the business opportunities for trade.
Another AIDAC-connected bloc, and one well exemplifying its purpose and activities, is the 8 "Yaworsky Communications" files in volumes 821-822. The 4 files specifically dealing with "Corn Chips" reflect AIDAC's activities, through a communications firm, to broker / arrange a private-government business operation under the aegis of I.A.P.O. (Indian Agricultural Program of Ontario). The program was designed to underwrite a shift in native agriculture to producing corn for the manufacture of tortilla chips.
Another file group of interest are the "Man in the Green Stetson" files in volumes 822-823. They hold a manuscript version of Whelan's autobiography, published under that name, as well as congratulatory letters and files on the book launch.
Finally, a word on the "Senate - news clippings and correspondence" run, in volumes 823-825. These files hold a wide variety of records types: clippings, notes, correspondence, speeches, informational material and so on. They are more aptly a part of Whelan's early MP correspondence, covering the years from 1958 to 1986. They may have come with the Senate material because Whelan retained them upon leaving the House in 1984, and then deposited them when he donated his Senate files to LAC. These files contain correspondence with the PM and other highly-placed politicians, though much of it is xeroxed. A probable reason for their placement here - this material Whelan may have retained for the writing of his autobiography.
Closing off this series are a number of Whelan speeches, some to the Senate, some to other groups or agencies.