This sub-sub-series consists mainly of briefing notes from the Privy Council Office addressed, on the whole, to Prime Minister Chrétien's successive Chief of Staff: Jean Pelletier (1993-2001), Percy Downe (2001-2003) and Edward S. [Eddie] Goldenberg (2003). However, we should point out that certain briefing notes were written for Prime Minister Chrétien himself. To a lesser degree, the sub-sub-series includes press clippings, forms, handwritten notes and various reference materials.
The majority of briefing notes, several of them annotated by the Chief of Staff of the day, concern topics deemed sensitive and high priority by various Privy Council Office analysts. They illustrate the major role of the Privy Council Office, which consists of informing and advising the Prime Minister and Cabinet, coordinating strategic initiatives, analyzing policy, and providing informed and authoritative advice on Canada's machinery of government. They also offer a unique insight into the "hot-button" or priority issues marking Jean Chrétien's three terms as Prime Minister.
It also contains several notes summarizing access to information requests that concern sensitive and highly sensitive issues (addressed to, among others, the Prime Minister's Office, organizations such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), departments such as Finance and Justice, etc.) or relate to intergovernmental affairs. It also contains briefing notes (arranged by file, opened on behalf of the responsible analyst) on a range of specific subjects relating to general themes. These most often correspond to one of the Privy Council Office's key secretariats: Counsel to the Clerk; Intergovernmental Affairs; Social Development Policy; Economic and Regional Development Policy; Operations; Priorities and Planning; Communications; Macroeconomic Policy; Machinery of Government; Legislation and House Planning; Foreign and Defence Policy; Security and Intelligence; International Assessment Staff; and Corporate Services.
These briefing notes (analyses by Privy Council Office specialists) offer access to information that played a role in certain key decisions.
