Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the Principal Secretary is a senior aide, often the most senior political aide, to a head of government. Formerly, the position of Principal Secretary was the most senior one in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office (PMO). However, since 1987, it has been second to the
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
position.
The Leader of the Official Opposition and most Canadian provincialPremiers also have a principal secretary.
The role of the principal secretary may vary from administration to administration, depending on how the prime minister or provincial premier structures the workflow in his or her office; this has sometimes led to ambiguity in clearly defining the distinction between the roles of principal secretary and chief of staff to the general public.Shannon Proudfoot "In Trudeau’s PMO, what exactly is a principal secretary?" ''
Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...
'', February 20, 2019.
List of Principal Secretaries to the Prime Minister
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Gerald Butts
Gerald Michael Butts (born July 8, 1971) is a Canadian political consultant who served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from November 4, 2015 until his resignation on February 18, 2019. From 2008 to 2012, he was presiden ...
Francis Fox
Francis Fox (born December 2, 1939) is a former member of the Senate of Canada, Canadian Cabinet minister, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada, Principal Secretary in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister's Of ...
(2004)
* Jean Riou (1993)
* Michel Roy, Senior Advisor (1992–1993)
*
Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal (born October 13, 1950) is a Canadian political strategist, author, commentator, academic, and former senator. He served as chief of staff to Ontario Premier Bill Davis and later to Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Segal resig ...
, Senior Advisor (1991–1992)
* Tom Trbovich, Senior Policy Advisor (1990–1991)
* Bruce Phillips, Senior Advisor (1989–1990)
* Peter G. White (1988–1989)
* Bernard A. Roy (1984–1988)
* John Swift (1984)
*
Tom Axworthy Thomas Sidney Axworthy, (born May 23, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, political strategist, writer and professor. He is best known for having served as Principal Secretary and Chief Speechwriter to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Axworth ...
(1981–1984)
* James A. Coutts (1975–1979, 1980–1981)
* William Neville, Chief of Staff (1979–1980)
* Jack Austin (1974-1975)
* Martin O'Connell (1973–1974)
*
Marc Lalonde
Marc Lalonde (; born July 26, 1929) is a retired Canadian politician and cabinet minister.
Life and career
Lalonde was born in Île Perrot, Quebec, and obtained a Master of Laws degree from the Université de Montréal, a master's degree from O ...
(1968–1972)
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Thomas Worrall Kent
Thomas Worrall (Tom) Kent, (April 3, 1922 – November 15, 2011) was a Canadian economist, journalist, editor, public servant, and industrialist.
Born in Stafford, England, Kent graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and worked as a j ...
, Special Advisor (1967–1968)
* Gordon Robertson, Special Advisor (1967–1968)
* John Hodgson (1966–1967)
*
Thomas Worrall Kent
Thomas Worrall (Tom) Kent, (April 3, 1922 – November 15, 2011) was a Canadian economist, journalist, editor, public servant, and industrialist.
Born in Stafford, England, Kent graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and worked as a j ...
, Policy Secretary to the Prime Minister (1964–1965)
** Coordinator of Programming (1963–1964)
* Bert Richardson, Special Assistant (1962–1963)
* John Fisher, Special Assistant (1961–1962)
* Gowen Guest, Executive Assistant (1958–1961)
* Derek Bedson, Head PM's office (1957–1958)
* Dale Thomson (1952–1953)
* Pierre Asselin, Private secretary (1952–1958)
* Jack W. Pickersgill, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (1945–1952)
* Gideon Matte, Private secretary (1945–1948)
* Walter J. Turnbull, Principal secretary (1940–1945)
* Arnold Heeney (1938–1940)
* E.A. Pickering, Assistant private secretary (1935–1938)
* Howard R.L. Henry, Private secretary (1935)
*
Andrew Dyas MacLean
Andrew Dyas MacLean (November 20, 1896 – January 22, 1971) was a Canadian naval officer, journalist, and publisher. His role in a controversy over Canadian naval operations in 1943, near the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, continues to be d ...
, Secretary (1931–1935)
* Arthur Merriam, Private secretary (1930–1935)
* Rod Finlayson, Principal senior secretary (1930–1935)
* Harry Baldwin, Principal private secretary (1929–1930)
* Norman Rogers, Assistant secretary (1929–1930)
* Howard Measures, Personal secretary (1925–1930)
* Ralph Campney, title unknown (1924–1926)
* Leslie Clare Moyer, Private secretary (1922–1927)
* Fred A. McGregor, Secretary (1921–1922)
* Laurent Beaudry, Private secretary (1921–1922)
* Loring Christie, Principal Advisor (External Affairs) (1920–1921)
* Arthur Merriam, Principal secretary (1920–1921)
* Loring Christie, Principal Advisor (External Affairs) (1914–1920)
* Austin Ernest Blount, Private secretary (1911–1917)
*
Ernest Joseph Lemaire Ernest Joseph Lemaire, CMG (born October 22, 1874) was Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada, Secretary to the Cabinet and head of the Canadian civil service from August 14, 1923, to January 1, 1940.Joseph Pope, Secretary (1892)
**Private secretary (1882–1891)
**Under private secretary (1878–1882)
* Fred White, Private secretary (1878–1882)
* William Buckingham, Secretary (1873–1878)
*
Hewitt Bernard
Hewitt Bernard, (1825 – 24 February 1893) was a Canadian lawyer, militia officer, editor, and civil servant.
Life and career
Bernard was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica. He was educated in Bath, England, and practiced law education in Jam ...
, Private secretary (1867–1873)
See also
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Canadian Secretary to the Queen
The Canadian Secretary to the King (french: Secrétaire canadien du Roi) is the senior operational member of the royal household for the King of Canada, Charles III. The secretary is the principal channel of communication between the monarch and h ...
*
Secretary to the Governor General of Canada
The Secretary to the Governor General () is the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG)—the government department that supports the work of the Governor General of Canada—and is based at Rideau Hall in ...