One year since stepping down as the federal Liberals’ national campaign director, former longtime ministerial staffer Jeremy Broadhurst told Heard on the Hill that he feels “rested and eager to get back into action.” But now, he’ll be acting from the private sector, having joined Edelman Canada as its senior vice-president of public and government affairs on Sept. 2.

The communications firm released a statement announcing Broadhurst’s new job on Sept. 2: “Based in Ottawa, Broadhurst will oversee the daily client operations of the Public and Government Affairs practice, advising clients across sectors on public policy, government relations, and political strategy.”

Broadhurst’s over 20-year career in politics and government began in the Paul Martin era, continued more recently when he was chief of staff to Chrystia Freeland in her prior roles as foreign minister and finance minister, and then as former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy chief of staff, with stints at party headquarters sprinkled throughout the years. He described to Heard on the Hill last week by email as it having been “a wild run… But that career has meant a lot of sacrifice for my family.”

While he cited “family reasons” as his main reason for leaving the party in September 2024—“My kids are still young enough that they actually still like spending time with me,” he told HOH—Broadhurst noted in his departure statement last year that he didn’t have the “energy and devotion” needed to lead the party into “the most critical federal election campaign of my life.”

So, what was it like for him to sit on the sidelines during the Liberals’ leadership race earlier this year and the subsequent federal election after having been deep inside the big red machine for over 20 years?

“It was actually great to be able to experience the campaign like a normal person,” Broadhurst replied. Still, “after six federal campaigns working at the national HQ, there absolutely were some FOMO moments,” he confessed.

“It gave me a fresh perspective on what matters and what doesn’t.”

As for his new job at Edelman Canada, Broadhurst said the time is right and “it was an easy decision for me to join this fabulous team and work with their exceptional roster of clients.”

New group for those accused of foreign interference

Independent Senator Yuen Pau Woo and retired Conservative Senator Victor Oh are part of a new group supporting people who’ve been affected by or accused of foreign interference.

Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion is a non-partisan, not-for-profit group with the goal “to defend Canadians whose rights and freedoms have been compromised because of false or exaggerated claims of foreign interference, national security overreach, and fear of the ‘other’,” reads the Sept. 2 press release.

Woo is listed as the group’s founder and board chair, while Oh is listed as a Toronto-based founding director, along with two other founding directors David Tam (a lawyer based in Edmonton) and James Ho, a Vancouver-based businessperson and broadcaster with links to the Canadian Armed Forces. The quartet launched the group at a press conference in Ottawa on Sept. 3.

CAMIMH names Senator Brazeau a mental health champ

Quebec Senator Patrick Brazeau is one of this year’s Champions of Mental Health. The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health made the announcement on Sept. 2, publishing its list of seven “exceptional individuals and organizations [that] have shown extraordinary commitment to advancing mental health and substance use health in Canada.” The non-affiliated Senator from the Algonquin community of Kitigan Zibi claimed the “Parliamentarian” category.

“A strong mental health advocate, Brazeau openly shares his lived experience to encourage others—particularly men and boys—to seek help,” reads CAMIMH’s biography of Brazeau accompanying the press release. 

Brazeau and fellow recipients Shu-Ping Chen, Susan Hyde, Michael Perry and Joanna Lavoie, as well as the Back2Basickz Youth Support Services and The Do More Agriculture Foundation will be honoured at the Champions of Mental Health Awards Ceremony scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in Ottawa.

Jason Jacques named interim PBO

Jason Jacques was appointed interim Parliamentary Budget Officer on Sept. 2, following the end of Yves Giroux’s seven years in the role. Jacques’ six-month term began Sept. 3. 

Until recently, Jacques was the PBO’s director general of economic and fiscal analysis until recently. He has experience working with the Bank of Canada, Finance Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Privy Council Office.

Jacques issued a statement thanking Giroux for his work and Prime Minister Mark Carney for the appointment. He said, “Parliament faces key budgetary issues in the months ahead, and upcoming decisions will impact all Canadians. Our door is open. We encourage parliamentarians and their staff to reach out for briefings or with questions. We promise to be responsive, clear, and impartial.”

Ex-envoy Campbell joins Mastercard

In other new job news, erstwhile Canadian ambassador Ailish Campbell has left the civil service. “Today I’m thrilled to begin a new chapter as Executive Vice President, Public Sector at Mastercard, where I’ll be leading global engagement with governments to advance resilient, secure, and digitally enabled economies,” she posted on LinkedIn on Sept. 2. 

Since October 2020, Campbell had been Canada’s ambassador to the European Union, based in Brussels. She first joined the civil service in 2002 as a trade negotiator with the department now known as Global Affairs Canada. She has also held senior roles at the Privy Council Office, Industry, and Finance, as well as a two-year stint at the Business Council of Canada from 2013 to 2015.

Cossette returns to CPAC as new French anchor

CPAC will welcome back Marc-André Cossette to the fold mid-September as its new French anchor. For the past five years, Cossette was a senior producer at Global News’ parliamentary bureau. Prior to that, he was a reporter at CPAC from 2018 to 2020, and was also a reporter at CBC from May 2017 to August 2018.

At CPAC, Cossette will host the channel’s nightly political news program L’Essentiel, and will be the face of its live French programming.

In a CPAC press release announcing the news, Cossette said he is “thrilled” about his new job, and is “looking forward to serving Francophone viewers from coast to coast to coast, providing trusted and insightful coverage of the issues shaping our society.”

Look for him on-air later this fall.

cleadlay@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times