McGill Libraries
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
10 m of textual records and photographs
Michael Oliver was born in North Bay, Ontario. He earned his B.A. (1948), M.A. (1950) and Ph.D. (1957) from McGill and also studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. In 1958, Oliver was appointed Assistant Professor of economics and political science at McGill. He was promoted to Associate Professor and became Director of the French Canada Studies Programme in 1963. From 1966 until 1971, he was Vice-Principal (Academic), and he served as research director of the Royal Commission on Biculturalism and Bilingualism from 1964 until 1970. Oliver has also been involved in politics as President of the New Democratic Party. He served as President of Carleton University from 1972 to 1978, and since 1979 has been director of the International Development office of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
Oliver's papers deal almost entirely with his work for the Royal Commission on Biculturalism and Bilingualism. Correspondence, minutes, reports and press releases document the Commission's meetings, organization, personnel, and finances. There are also briefs, reports of study groups, drafts of the final report, and files on individuals. Records of his Vice-principalship at McGill can be found in Record Group 3.
Originals, Photocopies and Printed Materials