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Mel Smith fonds
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- Multiple media
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Physical description
9.94 m of textual records and other material
Plexiglass name plate ; 19.5 x 2 inches
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Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1934, Mel Smith was educated in British Columbia, graduating with Commerce and Law Degrees from UBC.
In 1960, he was called to the Bar of B.C. Later that year, he joined the public service of B.C. where he remained for 31 years. Mr. Smith rose to the rank of Deputy Minister in 1977, a position he held in various ministries until he left public service in 1991. From 1967 to 1987, he was the ranking advisor to four successive B.C. governments on the subject of constitutional reform and related federal-provincial issues. He was primarily responsible for developing the province’s constitutional position for the federal-provincial negotiations conducted over much of that period, including the negotiations leading up to the patriation of the Constitution in 1981. Since 1991, he has been engaged as a public policy consultant, as a columnist for B.C. Report magazine, and as an adjunct professor of political science at Trinity Western University. He is the author of the national bestseller, “Our Home or Native Land?,” which is highly critical of governments’ aboriginal policy.
He has held the position of Chairman of the B.C. Constitutional Law Subsection, Director of the Canada West Foundation, Director of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen’s University, and Director of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.
He received a Queen Elizabeth II, 25th Anniversary Medal in 1977, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in December of 1983.
Custodial history
In 1998 Mr. Smith donated his papers and other related materials to the TWU Archives. In the fall 2022, TWU Archives received additional papers and materials related to Mr. Smith's career in politics from Beverley Smith. The new additions include: series 12, Adoption Act, series 13 Consultation Services, and series 14 Trinity Western University. In July 2023, TWU Archives received a second accural related to Mr. Smith's time as Director in Constitutional and Administrative Law and his work as a Coordinator for Federal-Provincial Affairs in the BC Premier's Office in the early 1970s, as well as reports and books from his personal library. The accural resulted in a new series titled: series 15 Federal Provinical Affairs Coordinator.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of both professional and personal documents relating to Mr. Smith’s career, and includes position papers, correspondence, briefing papers, news clippings, books, articles, and photographs.
Series within the fonds are:
- Internal Briefing Materials. -- [n.d.]
- British Columbia's Position on the Constitution. -- 1968-1991
- Positions of Other Governments on the Constitution. -- 1973-1983
- Native Affairs. -- 1850-1875; 1969; 1975-1996
- Other Policy Matters and Events. -- 1983-1994
- Daily Correspondence. -- 1977-1996; 2000
- Invitations. -- 1968-1989
- Name Tags. -- 1968-1989
- Newspaper Clippings. -- 1867; 1968; 1976; 1979-1982; 1997-2000
- Government Publications. -- 1967-2000
- Briefing Binders. -- 1969-1971, 1976-1987
- Adoption Act. -- 1968-1992
- Consultation Services for the Reform Party of Canada. -- 1938-1997
- Trinity Western University. -- 1985, 1988-2003, 2007-2008, 2013
- Constitutional and Administrative Law and Federal Provincial Coordinator. -- 1973-1976, 1978
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Melvin Henry Smith. First accrual received from Beverley Smith in the fall of 2022. Second accrual received from Beverley Smith in July 2023.
Arrangement
Series 11 - Briefing Binders was created when the binders were rehoused into files in February 2022.
Records received in the fall 2022 accrual that fell outside of the three newly created series (12 to 14), were added into existing series: series 2 - British Columbia's Position on the Constitution; series 3 - Positions of Other Governments on the Constitution; series 4 - Native Affairs; and series 5 - Other Policy Matters and Events.
Language of material
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Restrictions on access
May contain confidential information. Please contact Archivist for additional information.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
File list is available in the Archives and via the online database
Associated materials
Accruals
General note
The video cassettes are physically filed with videos belonging to the A/V Collection; brief descriptions have been entered into the archival database and are accessible online
General note
Many documents within various series contain the words "Indian" and "Native" to describe Indigenous peoples and groups. While these terms were historically used, there are no longer socially appropriate.
Physical description
Includes: 10 metres of textual records, 7 metres of books and government documents, 12 video cassettes, 21 audio cassettes, and ca. 100 photographs
Physical description
Actual physical extent of textual records inside boxes is 8.12 m
Fonds also includes:
-5.00 m of published materials as well as photos, audio / visual, and framed documents
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March 14, 2002<br/>October 25, 2012<br/>Thursday, October 25, 2012 4:00:29 PM by SylviaS<br/>Thursday, October 25, 2012 11:22:15 AM by SylviaS<br/>Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:54:34 PM by sylvias<br/>Friday, October 17, 2003 10:13:09 AM by sylvias<br/>Thursday, October 16, 2003 2:36:52 PM by sylvias<br/>Saturday, November 23, 2002 10:20:06 AM by SylviaS<br/>04/12/2002 03:40:54 PM by SylviaS<br/>03/14/2002 04:51:41 PM by SylviaS<br/>03/14/2002 04:49:23 PM by SylviaS; February 2022, tk; February 2023, tk