Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO), located in the Langevin Block
Langevin Block
The Langevin Block is an office building facing Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. As the home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister, it is the working headquarters of the executive branch of the Canadian government...
, on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
, in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, is one of the most powerful parts of the government. It is made up of the prime minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
and his or her top political staff, who are charged with advising the prime minister on decisions, making the office a wholly political body. It should, however, not be confused with the Privy Council Office
Privy Council Office (Canada)
In Canada the Privy Council Office is the secretariat of the federal cabinet, providing officially non-partisan advice and support to the Prime Minister and leadership, coordination, and support to the departments and agencies of the government...
(PCO).
Function
One of the most important roles of the PMO is related to government appointments, which are made by the Queen-in-CouncilQueen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
(or Governor-in-Council), but, as Canada is a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, this is done on the normally binding advice
Advice (constitutional)
Advice, in constitutional law, is formal, usually binding, instruction given by one constitutional officer of state to another. Especially in parliamentary systems of government, Heads of state often act on the basis of advice issued by prime ministers or other government ministers...
of the prime minister. The PMO, thus, aids in finding suitable candidates for the prime minister to put forward to the monarch or viceroy for appointment to positions such as the governor general
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
and lieutenant governors, senators
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
, supreme court
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
justices, chairpersons of ministerial boards, heads of Crown corporations
Crown corporations of Canada
Canadian Crown corporations are enterprises owned by the federal government of Canada , one of Canada's provincial governments or one of the territorial governments. Crown corporations have a long standing presence in the country and have been instrumental in the formation of the state...
, and more. The PMO also includes speech writers, strategists, and communications staffers, who shape the prime minister's and cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
's message, as well as keeping the prime minister informed on events that take place in government and across the country, and acting as a link between the political party organization and the government.
Composition
- Chief of StaffChief of Staff (Canada)The Chief of Staff of Canada's Prime Minister's Office is the top official of the office. It was created in 1987 to head the Prime Minister's Office or PMO....
: Nigel WrightNigel S. WrightNigel S. Wright is the current Canadian Chief of Staff. He was appointed in 2011 to replace Guy Giorno, and is the third Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Wright had been a managing director for Onex Corporation.- References :... - Principal SecretaryPrincipal Secretary (Canada)In Canada 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 in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, though since 1987 it is second to the Chief of Staff...
: Ray Novak - Deputy Chief of Staff: Derek Vanstone
- Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister: Jeremy Hunt
- Director of Issues Management: Mark Quinlan
- Director of Appointments: Derek Vanstone
- Director of Tour and Scheduling: Deborah Campbell
- Director of Policy: Paul Wilson
- Director of Strategic Planning: Bill Hawkins
- Director of Stakeholder Relations: Bill Hawkins
- Director of Communications: Angelo PersichilliAngelo PersichilliAngelo Persichilli is an Italian journalist and newspaper editor who emigrated from Italy to Canada in 1975. He was announced in August 2011 as the new director of communications in the Prime Minister's Office....
- Director of Priorities and Planning: Jasmine Igneski
- Deputy Director of Communication: Mike WhiteMike WhiteMichael Christopher "Mike" White is an American writer, director, actor, and producer for television and film and the winner of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Chuck & Buck.-Early years:...
- Press Secretary: Sara MacIntyre
- Press Secretary: Andrew MacDougall
- Senior Quebec Advisor: Marc-André Plouffe
- Staff Director and Advisor to the Chief of Staff and Principal Secretary: Dave Forestell
- Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff: Carl Dholandas
History
The Office of the Prime Minister was a fairly weak and secondary group before Pierre TrudeauPierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
became prime minister in 1968, after whose appointment much of what had previously been the responsibility of the Privy Council Office was shifted to the PMO. After that point, the PMO became more central to the government, and many of Trudeau's economic and constitutional initiatives were launched with the aid and advice of its staff. Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
(Tory) Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
similarly had a powerful and active PMO, finding the advice he received from his staff there more reliable than that which came from civil servants
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
(whom he considered to be Liberal-leaning), or from those in the fractious Tory party.
After Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
was appointed as prime minister, the PMO shrank in size and influence, Chrétien relying more on the Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
for direction. However, as his time as prime minister went on, he came to rely more on the PMO, especially his chief of staff, Jean Pelletier
Jean Pelletier
Jean Pelletier, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 37th mayor of Quebec City, Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, and chairman of Via Rail...
, who ran the office from 1993 to 2001, Percy Downe
Percy Downe
Percy E. Downe is a Canadian Senator and former political aide.Since graduating from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1977, Downe has had the opportunity to serve at the provincial and federal levels of Canadian Government. From 1986 to 1993, Downe was executive assistant to the Premier...
, who served as his director of appointments from 1998 to 2001 and chief of staff from 2001 to 2003, and senior advisor, Eddie Goldenberg
Eddie Goldenberg
Edward "Eddie" Goldenberg served as a senior political advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, considered among the most influential, with Jean Pelletier and Aline Chrétien. Goldenberg served as then Prime Minister Chrétien's Chief of Staff during his term in office, before leaving to...
, who had spent his entire career working with Chrétien in various ministries. Chrétien's successor, Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, changed the structure of the PMO to more match that of the Executive Office of the President of the United States
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
. For example, he introduced deputy chiefs of staff, who were responsible for areas such as communications and policy; re-established the position of director in the offices of the other ministers of the Crown
Minister of the Crown
Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves at His/Her Majesty's pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives...
, positions that were previously known as special assistants; and re-established the position of principal secretary, which had originally been created by Trudeau. Martin further, and significantly, increased the salary of the PMO's staff. This model has largely been retained by the present prime minister, Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, despite the recommendations of John Gomery
John Gomery
John H. Gomery, BCL, BA, QC is a retired Canadian jurist. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Personal life:Gomery has a daughter, Cym Gomery, who is a partisan and candidate of municipal party Projet Montreal. Gomery is fluently bilingual, as is his daughter...
following his investigation into the sponsorship scandal
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
, when he concluded that the power of the PMO be reduced.