| Summary: | The James A. McGrath political papers are a record of the political career of Newfoundland's longest serving Member of the Canadian House of Commons. McGrath, a Progressive Conservative, served in the House for almost twenty-five years, in two separate terms: 1957-1963; 1968-1986. Most of that time, except for 1957-1963, 1979-1980 and 1984-1986, was spent on the Opposition side. He had brief stints as a Parliamentary Secretary (1962-1963) and as a Cabinet Minister (1979-1980), but gained considerable experience as a front-bench critic, as a member of the shadow cabinet and as a member of various parliamentary committees. As a senior member of the Progressive Conservative caucus during the 1970s he chaired a number of caucus committees and task forces, and subsequently contributed to the shaping of party policy. - - These papers are primarily from McGrath's second period in the House of Commons, 1968 to 1986, although there is some material from his early years in Ottawa. There is also material related to personal matters, to his family, to some aspects of his business dealings and to his years as Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland, 1986-1991. Generically, these are mainly textual documents, but there are also photographs, maps, audio and video tapes and film, scrapbooks and clippings and various artifacts and ephemera. - - The papers present a fairly complete picture of McGrath's career as a Member of the House of Commons, particularly after his re-election in 1968. They will be of interest to historians of Newfoundland and Canadian politics and political systems. One large series relates to McGrath's tenure as chair of a special parliamentary committee charged with Reform of the House of Commons. Another documents his tenure as Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The papers also reflect his special interests, ranging from children's rights to the need for improved search and rescue facilities off Newfoundland. A major portion of the papers consist of correspondence: with his constituents; with other ...
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