The fonds includes the research records and documents of the research group created and collected in the course of the project, which include theses, essays, interviews, papers, articles, news paper clippings, press releases, statistics, reports, acts and bills, oral history interview transcripts and tapes, and other records relating to the subject area of the project. The files also include transcripts of interviews with B C politicians and government administrators and research material gathered from a number of sources. Subjects include aboriginal issues, economic development, education, energy, environment, health, labour, land use, the legislative process, federalism, forestry, political parties, public service, and women's experience. The fonds consists of the following series: Catalogue series,1978-1983, Data Bank series, 1952-1983, and Oral history interview series, 1964-1987. All files were assigned a Data Bank Number by project staff (DB No. 1-1058). Several unnumbered files have been assigned numbers by Archives staff (DB No. 1059-1066).

The fonds consists of two series: Committee records, and Questionnaires. The Committee records include minutes, drafts, and supplementary material relating to the preparation of the final brief. The questionnaires document grants received between 1960 to 1967 by UVic faculty members; they are arranged alphabetically by departments and individual faculty members, and include departmental summaries of the results.

The fonds consists of records documenting the establishment and development of the Centre. The chair's records include correspondence, minutes, terms of reference, and financial records. Material documenting the various research projects supported by the Centre include notes, rough drafts, interviews, photographs, newsclippings, index cards, authority files, questionnaires and coding sheets for projects of: R.H. Roy (research on George Pearkes), Sydney Jackman, Donald W. Munro, Daniel Koenig, John A. Munro (research on H.H. Stevens), D.C. Pitt, Clyde R. Pope, T. Rennie Warburton, Alan Gowans, and Leonard Thornton.

The fonds consists of the following series: general correspondence (1968-1984); Management Council agenda, minutes and reports (1971-1985); committee agenda, minutes, correspondence, and papers (1969-1984); publications (1969-1980); grant applications and correspondence (1969-1980); budgets (1970-1985); reports (1968-1982); legal documents (1967-1983); members list (1974-1979); and job descriptions (1973-1982). Also included are architectural drawings for the Bamfield Marine Biological Station.