Intelligence Assessment Secretariat

Under a PCO–FAC memorandum of understanding, both departments contribute to the staffing and management of the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat (IAS), which produces assessments of conditions and trends in foreign countries including the implications for Canadian policy-makers. The IAS focuses principally on countries that are authoritarian, unstable, involved in conflict or, for other reasons, are of concern to Canada and the international community.

In preparing assessments, the IAS capitalises on its analytical capability and its access to a wide variety of open, diplomatic and intelligence sources. IAS assessments are written to be useful to policy-makers, but are neutral in their descriptions of the facts and in the assessment of possible future developments.

The Executive Director of the IAS chairs the Intelligence Assessment Committee (IAC), which brings together representatives of domestic departments and agencies that are involved in gathering or assessing intelligence and are major users of assessed intelligence. The IAC produces papers that take a longer-range view of foreign developments, but are still of immediate interest to decision-makers.

Resources

Sort by   Title | Date published | Date added | Document type

China Analyst PM - 04
Experience in researching a wide range of primary sources of information on developments concerning China. Experience in preparing, presenting and effectively defending analyses on issues related to China, both orally and in writing.
HTML | Published: 2007-04-16 | Added: 2007-04-16

China Analyst PM - 05
Specialised experience in researching a wide range of primary sources of information on developments concerning China. Specialised experience in preparing, presenting and defending effectively oral and written analysis on issues related to China.
HTML | Published: 2007-04-16 | Added: 2007-04-16

Canadian spies secretly studied Soviet movies
Canadian spies secretly analyzed Soviet movies during the Cold War in the hope of gleaning useful intelligence. A little-known Ottawa agency played the role of film critic in what may have been a unique intelligence-gathering project among its  [...]
HTML | Published: 2005-08-14 | Added: 2005-08-17

Privy Council Office - Analyst
Support for senior government decision makers, including the Prime Minister, Ministers and officials of PCO, FAC and other departments, through policy-neutral assessments of foreign political, economic, strategic and security issues concerning Iraq and  [...]
HTML | Published: 2005-01-19 | Added: 2005-01-19

Top-level report warns of terrorist plots
A secret intelligence report distributed to key federal authorities by the Privy Council Office expresses concern that al-Qaida extremists could use lethal substances such as ricin and botulinum in a terrorist campaign to contaminate food and water.
HTML | Published: 2003-11-11 | Added: 2004-03-22

Directory of the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat
Government electronic directory of the staff at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat.
LINK | Published: 2001-01-01 | Added: 2004-02-06