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The series consists of records created by Cabinet committees, Deputy Ministers' committees and sub-committees between 1969 and 2005. Records include agendas, records of decisions, and meeting minutes as well as related reports, briefing notes, backgrounders, recommendations, communication plans, information packages and correspondence associated with or referenced in meetings. Most files contain records related to a particular meeting, however, there may also be subject files, publications, document requests, correspondence files, committee trips and administrative files from the committees.

Committee files provide evidence of their discussions, decisions and policy creation. Cabinet committee deliberations focus on strategic priorities and substantive issues, the acceptance or rejection of recommendations, and the early notification and review of contentious issues. Cabinet committees provide a forum for thorough analysis of an issue or fulfill mandates enunciated by statute. The Premier establishes committees, and determines their mandate, authority and membership.

Committees, subcommittees and working groups represented in the series include (listed roughly in the order in which they first appear) :

-- Cabinet Committee on Environment and Land Use (ELUC)
-- Environment and Land Use Technical Committee (ELUTC)
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Environment and Land Use (DMCELU)
-- Cabinet Committee on Social Services (CCSS)
-- Deputy Ministers' Committee on Social Services (DMCSS)
-- Deputy Ministers' Committee on Social Policy (DMCSP)
-- Sub-Committee on Social Services Policy and Priorities
-- Cabinet Committee on Economic Development (CCED)
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Economic Development
-- Cabinet Committee on Regional Development (CCRD)
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Regional Development (DMCRD)
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Sustainable Development
-- Cabinet Committee on Coal Development
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Coal Development
-- Cabinet Committee on Employment Development
-- Sub-Committee on Employment Development
-- Deputy Ministers' Investment Committee
-- Interministry Committee on Regulation Reform
-- BC Task Force on Environment and Economy (E&E)
-- Wilderness Advisory Committee
-- Cabinet Committee on BC Transit
-- Cabinet Committee on Urban Transit
-- Cabinet Committee on Urban Affairs
-- Cabinet Committee on Expo Legacy
-- Deputy Ministers' Committee on Traffic Safety
-- Western Economic Policy Liaison Committee
-- Cabinet committee on Confederation
-- Cabinet committee on Alcan
-- Cabinet Committee on Housing
-- Cabinet Committee on Energy
-- Cabinet Committee on Rent Control
-- Various inter-governmental committees
-- Treaty Working Group (TWG)
-- First Nations Issues Working Group (FNIWG)
-- Green Economy Working Group (GEWG)
-- Cabinet Committee on Crown Corporations (CCCC)
-- Forestry Working Group
-- Planning and Priorities Committee (PPC or P and P)
-- Agenda Development Committee (ADC)
-- Planning Board (PB)
-- Sustainable environment fund
-- Crown management Group (of CCCC)
-- Officials Coordinating Committee on Cassiar (re: closure of Cassiar asbestos mine)
-- Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) Liaison Committee
-- Cabinet Committee on Cultural Heritage
-- Cabinet Committee on Multiculturalism
-- Cabinet Committee on Native Affairs
-- Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Land Claims and Self Government
-- Aboriginal Affairs working group
-- Cabinet Committee on Constitution
-- Cabinet Committee on Drug Abuse
-- Cabinet Committee on Vancouver International Airport
-- Land Use Planning Working Group
-- Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Land Use
-- Cabinet Committee Coordinating Group
-- Social Assistance Renewal Project
-- British Columbia Benefits Working Group
-- Deputy Ministers’ BC Benefits Management Group
-- National Unity Working Group
-- Government Operations Sub-Committee
-- Growth Strategies Committee
-- Income Security Review Working Group
-- Cabinet Committee on Collective Bargaining
-- Ad Hoc Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Clayoquot
-- Outreach Management Committee
-- Treaty Information Initiative Management Committee
-- Nisga’a Reference Group
-- Minister’s of State meetings
-- Working Group on Fisheries Issues
-- Joint Planning Board and Treasury Board Meetings
-- Ad Hoc Committee on Labour Legislation
-- Government Caucus Committee on Communities & Safety
-- Government Caucus Committee on Economy
-- Government Caucus Committee on Government Operations
-- Government Caucus Committee on Economy & Government Operations
-- Government Caucus Committee on Health
-- Government Caucus Committee on Natural Resources
-- Joint Government Caucus Committee on Natural Resources and Economy
-- Government Caucus Committee on Social Policy
-- Government Caucus Committee on Economy and Environment
-- Government Caucus Committee on Economy and Resource Development
-- Government Caucus Committee on Education
-- Government Caucus Committee on Cross Government Initiatives
-- Cabinet Committee on Treaties
-- Economic Council Committee
-- Belsey Land Use Task Force
-- Core Review and Deregulation Task Force

Note that committees may be identified by their full name, part of the name or an acronym in the file list.

Many files relate to Environment and Land Use Committees (ELUC). A large portion of these committee files relate to appeals for the use of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The ELUC is responsible for deciding on appeals from Agricultural Land Commission decisions related to the exclusion or addition of land in the ALR. Land may be requested for exclusion from the ALR so it can be used for commercial, residential or other uses. These files may be the original application and appeal files from the Agricultural Land Commission. There are also subject files and reports on land use projects, such as the creation of parks, hydroelectric projects, mines, as well as files on subjects such as foreign ownership. These files may contain maps and other cartographic material.

The series includes Cabinet (Executive Council) meeting case files. Cabinet is chaired by the Premier and consists of all Cabinet ministers. It is the central decision-making body of government and a collective body for Cabinet ministers to decide significant government issues.

The series includes Deputy Ministers' meeting case files. This council is a strategic planning and problem-solving forum for deputy ministers, with a focus on corporate issues.

The series includes Core Review and Deregulation Task Force meeting files between 2001-2003. This task force was responsible for conducting a general review of government operations and Crown corporations, to help prepare ministry service plans.

This series also contains open cabinet meeting materials. One of the key commitments of the BC Liberal government's 2001 election platform was to hold open, televised Cabinet meetings that were broadcast live on the Internet at least once a month. The Premier of the time, Gordon Campbell, stated this was to ensure that major capital spending decisions and land-use decisions involving the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), new parks, land claims and tenure reform were decided by Cabinet in public, and not behind closed doors. From 2001 to 2004 the Liberal government held approximately 30 open cabinet meetings.

The series does not include the records of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation or the Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Legislation; these records can be found in series GR-3677.

Coloured file removal slips in the boxes indicate files which were removed for the tobacco litigation case in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Records in the series are covered by ORCS 10400-20 of schedule 881099 (Office of the Premier and Executive Council) and were scheduled for full retention. Deputy Minister's Council files are covered by ORCS 10500-20. Cabinet meeting case files are covered under ORCS 10200-20.

This series consists of background materials used by members of cabinet in the creation and approval of orders-in-council (OICs) and Ministerial Orders, from 1989-2003.

The majority of these records are information sheets or resumes which identify the relevant Ministry, contact person, summary of background information, authority (such as any related legislation), concerns from Legislative Counsel, impacts of the OIC, and tracking information. The OIC number is usually stamped in the top right corner. Numbers with the prefix “M” are Ministerial Orders, not OICs.

Information sheets may be stapled to other associated supporting records such as correspondence, reference materials, financial impact statements, copies of the OIC, and coloured slips showing it has been reviewed by Legislative Counsel. Green slips note the OIC can proceed, yellow indicates certain conditions that need to be met, and red indicates the OIC may be invalid or open to challenge. Most packages do not include copies of the actual OIC.

There are also a few files relating to a 1983 OIC “reduction exercise”. This involved reviewing legislation to determine if statutory powers requiring routine OICs to have full consideration and approval of cabinet could be transferred to the Minister concerned. This change was considered so Cabinet could spend more time on “non-routine” issues.

Early OICs are grouped by the name of the Ministry responsible, and roughly chronologically within each grouping. Sheets may not clearly be labelled with the year and files may contain OICs for multiple years.

Later OICs are arranged chronologically by year and OIC number. There may not be records for every OIC number or there may be a placeholder noting where records for an OIC are not included. Each year filed chronologically may begin with files for minutes of Cabinet and other miscellaneous files related to OICS of that year.

Records in the series are covered by ORCS 10200-30 of schedule 881099 (Office of the Premier and Executive Council).

The series consists of records created by the Cabinet Operations branch of the Office of the Premier from 1980-2001. Most records were created by various Cabinet Committees responsible for reviewing legislation, as well as some regulations and Orders-in-Council (OICs). These committees include:

Cabinet Committee on Legislation (CCL)
Cabinet Committee on Legislation and Regulations (CCLR)
Cabinet Committee on Regulations and Orders in Council
Cabinet Committee on Legislation, Regulations and Orders in Council
Cabinet/Caucus Committee on Legislation (CCCL)

Records include committee meeting minutes, correspondence, recommendations, legal advice, legislative proposals and requests for legislation. A large portion of the records are the minutes and meeting files produced by the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.

Cabinet Operations controls the process by which legislation is proposed and reviewed prior to the legislation being prepared as a Bill. These records may relate to the preparation of instructions and templates for the submission of legislative proposals, requests for legislation, or the tracking of submissions throughout the legislative approval process. This process begins when a ministry submits their legislative proposals for consideration. If a legislative proposal is approved, the ministry will be asked to develop a formal Request for Legislation (RFL). The Legislative Review Committee (LRC) will review the RFLs and make recommendations to Cabinet on policies and programs requiring change. Legislative Counsel, working with the ministry, is then responsible for drafting individual bills, acts, and regulations.

These records provide evidence of the development and coordination of this legislative review process, and include records pertaining to both new and amended legislation. The records relate to entire bills or Acts, as well as records of amendments to particular sections of an Act. These may be referred to as major or minor changes in the file list.

Where possible, the records are arranged by year or legislative session, then alphabetically by Ministry name and then alphabetically by Act name within each Ministry grouping. This arrangement may not always be followed consistently throughout the records, especially for older ones.

In some cases, records were arranged in two distinct groupings within a file folder, with records clipped to both the left and right sides. Metal clips were removed for preservation purposes, but records from the left side are face-down on top of records on the right hand side, which are arranged face-up.

The records are covered by ORCS 10610-20 (schedule 881099) and were selected for full retention.

This series consists of a variety of administrative files, subject files, briefing books and transition books created and used by staff of the Premier’s Office, Cabinet Operations and Cabinet Secretariat from 1970-1998. Files relate to office procedures, committees, legislation and various issues or topics being considered by the Premier’s Office.

This series includes a wide range of record types which were intermingled with Cabinet Committee files in GR-3676 and GR-3677. Some of the records likely overlap with or relate to these other series. Many subject files appear to have been used by Cabinet for informational purposes and may be related to Cabinet meetings or other Cabinet committee files in GR-3676.

Types of records are grouped together as they were found in their original boxes. These groupings are identified in the file list where possible. However, many groupings have no clear order within a single grouping or clear relationship to other groupings of records in this series. Original file lists provided by the Premiers Office listed most files as "miscellaneous." Common types of records include:

Subject files relate to a particular Ministry, committee, project or issue requiring consideration or approval by Cabinet. Records include Treasury Board and Cabinet submissions; memos sent by the Premier's Office to ministries regarding approvals; reports; correspondence; copies of articles; Orders-in-Council (OICs), mostly relating to appointments; reference materials from other jurisdictions to compare other government's structure and procedures; training materials and manuals for new staff and incoming Cabinet Committee members; and letters to the Director of Intergovernmental affairs to express concerns or to report on other Cabinet Committee activities. Ministry subject files relate to legislation and issues of a specific Ministry; they are generally arranged roughly by date and alphabetically by Ministry name. Other subject files generally have no clear order.

Administrative files from the Cabinet Secretariat regard policies, procedures, human resources material, and guidelines. Many procedure files outline the process for passing legislation and the role of various government functions and bodies. This also includes press releases, newspaper clippings, speeches and communication plans of Ann Newby, Director of Communications Branch for the Premiers Office. Administrative files are intermixed with subject files.

Records regarding the Premier’s official visits are primarily itineraries outlining the Premier’s, Cabinet’s or their delegation’s daily schedule during visits, as well as briefing books. The briefing books contain guests lists, biographies of people present, background notes, speaking notes, briefing notes, meeting agendas and talking points. Related briefing books, including constituency brief books, in this series pertain to regions in British Columbia and are intended to convey important information about issues that are specific and important to the people in those regions. They include local area profiles, economic and industrial overviews, contacts, statistics and summarized issues submitted by each Ministry and the Provincial Government’s position on these issues. The records are organized by visit and are typically titled using the location and date of the visit.

Records regarding the Office of the Ombudsman/Ombudsperson are subject files held by the Cabinet Secretariat. Records include Ombudsman special reports submitted to the Lieutenant Governor or Legislative Assembly regarding investigations into complaints made against the government; correspondence between the Ombudsman and members of Cabinet or the Cabinet Secretariat; and background materials related to reports. Many of the Files are related to issues with Workers Compensation Board claims. There are also files on other controversial topics such as the closure of Tranquille and logging on Shoal Island.

The series also contains transition books and briefing binders for the transfer of power after an election. These books provide information on existing government Ministries, including priorities, critical issues, overview of the Ministry, members of the executive council, parliamentary secretaries, acting minsters, and responsibilities for Crown Corporation, Boards, Commissions and agencies. Records for the newly elected Premier Glen Clark in 1996 include floppy disks.

There are records on the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference and Cabinet retreat planning records, 1985-1994.

There is also a group of records specifically related to Premier Bill Vander Zalm’s government restructuring plans from 1985-1991. This includes cabinet shuffles, and the regionalization of government which resulted in the appointment of Ministers of State for different regions of the province. Records include OICs appointments, procedures, legal opinions, correspondence, speeches, press releases, a 1991 speech from the throne, major policies issues and briefing notes showing the government’s priorities for ministries and constitutional issues resulting from the Meech Lake Accord.

Records in the series are covered by ORCS 10200-20 and 10400-20 of schedule 881099 (Office of the Premier and Executive Council) and were scheduled for full retention.