Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet arrive at the annual summer retreat in Halifax Aug. 26.Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is contending with an exodus of senior staff just as the minority Liberals are returning to a precarious position in the House of Commons, having lost the automatic support of the New Democratic Party.
Five of his 38 ministers are losing their chiefs of staff in quick succession with several already gone, including the top advisers at Global Affairs, Heritage, Environment, National Revenue, and Mental Health and Addictions, according to six Liberal sources who each confirmed some of the names of those leaving.
The sources said a number of staffers had been planning their exits for months, while others had been considering leaving for a long time before finally making the move. While the Liberals have frequently contended with churn among their ministerial staff since taking office in 2015, some of the sources said five out of 38 is a noticeable hit.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources because they were not permitted to disclose the internal staff changes.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office played down the significance of the departures. “Hundreds of political staff do the important work of supporting members of Parliament, cabinet ministers and our government. Among the staff that do this vital work, turnover is a normal component of the job process,” said PMO press secretary Mohammad Hussain.
“As we thank those who leave for their work and service, we also welcome the many strong colleagues who join our team.”
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Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly’s chief of staff, Peter Wilkinson, is leaving less than two years after he joined the office. Long-time senior staffer Jamie Kippen has already had his last day as Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s chief. Jude Welch, the chief for the Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, has already left.
Also leaving are Frédérique Tsai-Klassen, the chief to Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Sarah Welch, the chief for Ya’ara Saks, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. The sources said the majority of the senior staff leaving do not yet have another job lined up, but they are entitled to severance payments based on years of service.
The exodus of top staff in ministerial offices coincides with the party’s loss of its top staffer, national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst, a prominent senior Liberal for the past two decades. He previously served as national campaign director in 2019 and as senior adviser in the PMO before going back to the party last year.
Mr. Broadhurst announced his resignation on Thursday, just days before Mr. Trudeau is set to meet with his caucus in Nanaimo, B.C. Three MPs told The Globe that they are waiting to see the Prime Minister outline a credible strategy to win back Canadian voters.
Two senior officials said they do not expect Mr. Trudeau to name a replacement for Mr. Broadhurst at the gathering with caucus. However, one of the officials, who works in the PMO, said caucus will be presented with an overarching road map to the next election. The Globe is not identifying the two officials who were not permitted to disclose the internal planning.
All of the senior staff exits are in addition to the loss of Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan in July and the expected resignation of Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez.
Mr. O’Regan was a top political ally to Mr. Trudeau. Mr. Rodriguez holds the most important Quebec political role for the government and is widely expected to soon announce that he will leave the federal Liberals to run in the provincial party’s leadership race.
“I think it’s a sign of the end of government because given how bad things are for Trudeau and the government, senior staffers know that their departures will only add to both the perception and the reality of a mess,” said Lori Turnbull, chair of the Dalhousie University public and international affairs department.
“There is a sense that the Trudeau government has run its course and that defeat in the next election is a guarantee. The departure of senior staff suggests that even those who are part of Team Trudeau can see the writing on the wall.”
“It begs questions about whether we would see the same departures in the event that a new leader was chosen,” she added.
Many of the top staff posts have already been filled with the second-in-commands for each office, but the most important one at Global Affairs does not yet have a permanent replacement.
Alexandre Boulé is now the acting chief for Ms. Joly, her office confirmed Sunday. Meantime, Mr. Kippen is being replaced at Environment by deputy chief of staff Joanna Dafoe and Mr. Welch is being replaced at Heritage by deputy Michael Lartigau.
Marianne Dandurand is replacing Ms. Tsai-Klassen as chief at National Revenue.
The post for chief to the Mental Health and Addictions minister remains unfilled, the office said Sunday.