Staffers on the move: chief of staff change for Health Minister Petitpas Taylor
Outside the many shuffle-related cabinet staffing changes of late, plenty of other political aides are on the move, including in Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor’s office, which recently saw chief of staff Geneviève Hinse depart. Ms. Hinse had been chief of staff in the health minister’s office since the beginning, having started under then-minister Jane […]
PMO seeking ‘honest feedback’ from Liberal staffers on ‘drinking culture,’ conduct of politicians on the Hill
A month after a former Liberal staffer lifted the lid off the dark underbelly of the Hill culture and attracted national media attention, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office is seeking “honest feedback” from political aides working for Liberal MPs, cabinet ministers, and his own office about the workplace culture on Parliament Hill, including about the […]
Post-cabinet staffing decisions underway, changes happening in the Prime Minister’s Office
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet on July 18, behind the scenes, ministerial staffers were on the move, big time. While some initial changes have already happened since the shuffle, in particular, when it comes to shoring up chiefs of staff, further moves are expected to come by the end of August when […]
Tory strategist, Global anchor tie the knot, as politicians and pundits look on
Conservative strategist Rick Anderson wed Global National anchor Dawna Friesen in Vancouver on July 28. Mr. Anderson was the chief adviser to Reform leader Preston Manning and is a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group. Ms. Friesen has been the Global National anchor and executive editor since 2010. Previously, she was an NBC News foreign correspondent where she […]
Min. Goodale loses adviser to Morneau
A plethora of political staffers are on the move on the Hill after last month’s cabinet shuffle, but before diving in to that, Hill Climbers is taking a quick dip into a few other tidbits of staffing news. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has recently seen three of his political aides depart, including director of communications Dan […]
Parliament should consider U of O model to support staff
I have read many articles in your publication about a lack of resources or knowledge of resources for parliamentary and political staffers to help them with problems regarding their roles, health, workloads, goals, harassment, professional responsibilities and relationships, stress, and other important matters. While obviously a different context, I wonder if it might be worthwhile […]
Natural Resources Minister Carr names new press secretary
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr has quickly named a new press secretary in his office, promoting policy adviser and issues manager Mackenzie Radan to take over the role. Previously, Alexandre Deslongchamps was press secretary to the minister, but he was promoted last month to be director of communications, following the departure of Laurel Munroe from […]
Heritage Minister Joly borrows PMO adviser Dea to serve as her interim chief of staff
Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister Mélanie Joly’s chief of staff Leslie Church is away on maternity leave and, in the meantime, the minister has brought in Maxime Dea, a policy adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office, to fill in on an interim basis. A former head of communications and public affairs for Google Canada, Ms. Church […]
Natural Resources Minister Carr promotes new comms director
Amid a string of recent ministerial communications staff changes, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr has promoted his press secretary, Alexandre Deslongchamps, to take over as director of communications in his office. Until recently, Laurel Munroe had been communications director to Mr. Carr since February 2016; she’s now left the minister’s office. Ms. Munroe had been […]
Some MPs treat staff ‘like cattle,’ others great bosses, say Liberal and Conservative Hill staffers
Some Liberal and Conservative MPs are on a “power trip” and treat their staff “like cattle,” say some staffers, who add that they want fair compensation for their work and standardized employment practices in MPs’ offices. “While some MPs are excellent employers, others, who’ve had not one iota of management experience, treat their staff like […]
