Ian D. Shugart (born May 31, 1957) is a Canadian politician and retired public servant who has been a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from Ontario since September 27, 2022. Prior to his appointment to the Senate, Shugart held a number of senior roles within the

Public Service of Canada The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada's departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants ...

, including as the 24th clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet from 2019 to 2021.

Education

Shugart graduated in from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

with a Bachelor of Arts in

political economy Political economy is the study of how Macroeconomics, economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and Economy, national economies) and Politics, political systems (e.g. law, Institution, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied ph ...

Career

Political staffer

Shugart began his career in Ottawa in 1980 as a political staffer, where he was a constitutional policy advisor to Progressive Conservative (PC) leader

Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...

and later policy director under

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...

, when the PCs formed the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

. Mulroney formed government in 1984 and Shugart worked as a senior policy advisor to the

minister of national health and welfare The minister of health (french: ministre de la Santé) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing health-focused government agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as we ...

Jake Epp Arthur Jacob "Jake" Epp, (born September 1, 1939) is a Canadian executive and former politician. Life and career Born into a Mennonite family in Manitoba, Epp was a high school history teacher in Steinbach, Manitoba before entering politics. J ...

. When Epp became

minister of energy, mines and resources The minister of natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resources portfolio ...

in 1989, Shugart became his chief of staff.

Public Service

In 1991, Shugart joined the

, taking a job as the assistant secretary for the social policy and programs branch in the Federal-Provincial Relations Office. He would go on to serve in a number of roles in the federal government, including as the executive director of the Medical Research Council (1993–1997), as an assistant deputy minister with

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; french: Santé Canada, SC)Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary unit ...

(1997–2006), and as the associate deputy minister with

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

(2006–2008). Shugart was promoted to deputy minister for Environment Canada in 2006, where he supported international climate change negotiations and the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010, he joined

Employment and Social Development Canada Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC; french: Emploi et Développement social Canada; french: EDSC, label=none)''Employment and Social Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Dep ...

as its deputy minister, where he worked on labour market and income security initiatives. He became deputy minister of foreign affairs at

Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...

in 2016, where he managed national security issues and bilateral relationships.

Clerk of the Privy Council

In 2019,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

announced that Shugart would become the 24th clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet – the head of the Public Service – following the resignation of

Michael Wernick Michael Wernick (born September 1957) is a Canadian retired public servant who served as the 23rd clerk of the Privy Council for Canada from 2016 to 2019. Following his tenure as clerk, Wernick joined the University of Ottawa, where he was name ...

. In 2021, Shugart stepped aside in order to receive cancer treatment. Former clerk

Janice Charette Janice Charette is a Canadian public servant serving as the Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada), clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet. She previously held the role from 2014 to 2016, before being appointed as the High Commissio ...

, Canada's high commissioner to the United Kingdom assumed the role on an interim basis.

Retirement

Shugart retired in 2022 and Charette assumed the role of clerk. He joined the University of Toronto's

Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy The Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre with various research and educational programs committed to the field of globalization. Located in Toronto, Ontario, it offers ...

in May 2022 as a part-time professor. He was sworn in as a member of the

King's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

on September 26, 2022.

Political career

On September 26, 2022, the Prime Minister's Office announced that Shugart had been appointed to represent Ontario in the Senate of Canada.

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shugart, Ian 1957 births Clerks of the Privy Council (Canada) Trinity College (Canada) alumni Living people Canadian senators from Ontario Independent Canadian senators Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada