Every time an election comes around, there’s talk of how a de facto campaign has been running for some time. This year, it’s beginning to ramp up—whether or not we see an election this year.

Because of the uncertainty of when exactly the minority government will fold, each of the parties have been preparing in the background to be election-ready when the writ drops. Shuffles and new hires amongst party executives and top party staffers, leader tours, fundraising and ad campaigns: all of that is reflected in this list, in addition to the power and influence of governance.

The closer this government gets to its scheduled expiration date—Oct. 20, 2025—the more tensions are rising between the party leaders, too. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, Ont.) has now had one year to settle into his new role, and his focus now is on continuing to build his brand while convincing Canadians that he’s the one with the answers to their economic woes—an issue that won’t be cooling down in 2024.

The Liberals seem secure in power with the supply-and-confidence agreement they have with the New Democratic Party. But the longer they govern, the more vulnerable they become in the polls. The question of an election seems to be up to the Liberals to decide: call something this year, and risk a repeat of the 2021 election that no one wanted; or hold out to see if the winds change in their favour.

Here’s The Hill Times’ list of the top 100 influential political players in 2024, created with the advice of 30 political insiders:

Politicians

Justin Trudeau, prime minister

Justin Trudeau is now in his ninth year in power, but that grasp becomes slippier the longer he holds on. If he keeps his promise of staying on as prime minister until the next election, and wins, he would make history by winning four consecutive elections in a row—the last time this happened was more than 100 years ago. As prime minister, Trudeau remains the most powerful elected official in the country, but as this list reflects, as he sinks in the polls, the influence of strong opposition leaders continues to grow. This year will show whether Trudeau can still set the narrative, or be caught on his heels responding to demands set by his rivals. Can he make a comeback? Will he?

Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance

Both roles of deputy prime minister and finance minister are two of the most powerful positions after the prime minister. Chrystia Freeland holds both simultaneously. She’s expected to bring down the federal budget in March, which will be either the second last or the last one for the Trudeau government until the next election. Considering that the Liberals are in a minority government, the next budget could be the election budget for the high stakes federal vote in which the governing party could be unseated. Whenever Trudeau decides to leave politics, Freeland is seen as one of the top contenders to succeed him. 

Pierre Poilievre, Conservative leader

Approaching 18 months after his landslide leadership election victory in September 2022, Pierre Poilievre made effective use of 2023 to rebrand the party in his own de-spectacled image with a $3-million ad buy to reintroduce himself to Canadians after nearly two decades as a federal MP.

Poilievre’s influence as an effective critic of the government and successful “scapegoating” of the carbon tax, according to Trudeau himself, left the Liberals spending much of last year playing catch-up and scrambling to respond. Combining his campaign-style “Axe the Tax” rallies and a regular stream of social media content—including a series of slickly-edited “mini-docs”—Poilievre has also shown his influence isn’t contained by his antagonistic relationship with the Hill media. 

François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science, and industry

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is seen by politicos as the third most influential individual in Trudeau’s cabinet after the prime minister and the deputy prime minister. Like Freeland, Champagne is also seen to be one of the top contenders for the party’s top job whenever Trudeau decides to step down. Last week, a top Quebec Liberal Party source told The Hill Times that grassroots party members want Champagne to run for the provincial leadership. An extrovert who always has a big smile on his face, the industry minister is one of the best in the current cabinet to work the room and in one-on-one conversations. Unlike numerous other elected officials on both sides of the aisle, he likes to interact with the media, no matter how tough the questions.

Sean Fraser, housing minister

Housing Minister Sean Fraser‘s stature doesn’t just come from his height. A relatively new addition to Trudeau’s cabinet, (he was brought into the fold in 2021 as immigration minister. The East Coast-er has shown himself capable of actually knowing the files he leads, and being an effective communicator of complex issues. These traits landed him one of the more difficult—but all the more important—files during last summer’s shuffle. The housing crisis is a major sore spot for Canadians, and a vulnerability for the Liberals. Fraser’s ability to negotiate with multiple levels of government and to slash red tape in his own House will have no small effect on the party’s fortunes—and the lives of Canadians—this year.

Mélanie Joly, foreign affairs minister

Bouncing between geopolitical ripples in the Middle East and in Ukraine, Mélanie Joly has been regularly thrust into the spotlight as Canada reacts to an increasingly unstable globe. Trudeau’s second-longest tenured foreign affairs minister has had to balance continued sour relations with China and India, as well as look ahead to the looming U.S. election in November and the spectre of a returning Trump presidency. Championing a “pragmatic diplomacy”—to mixed reviews—Canada’s top diplomat is also overseeing a modernization of the country’s foreign service, which has been charged with being overly risk averse and bureaucratic. Joly’s biggest test in 2024 will continue to be Canada’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war as the Liberal caucus’ division on the subject shows no signs of reconciliation.

Marc Miller, immigration minister

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is candid, well-versed in sensitive files, and has a personal relationship with the prime minister—all reasons enough to make this list. But his current file is one that’s been central to the Liberal government’s identity since it campaigned on accepting Syrian refugees in 2015. Already this year he’s made huge policy swings by putting a cap on both the number of Palestinian refugees Canada will accept from the Gaza Strip, and on how many international students will come here in the next two years. How Miller navigates these controversial decisions will play out in domestic politics as well as Canada’s standing on the world stage.

Dominic LeBlanc, minister of public safety, democratic institutions, and intergovernmental affairs

Widely viewed as one of Trudeau’s most trusted cabinet ministers and confidantes, Dominic LeBlanc is tasked with a range of key portfolios. This includes solving tricky political problems for the prime minister when they arise, like ensuring foreign interference in elections—which became a major political thorn in the government’s side in the first half of 2023—doesn’t become a distraction again in 2024. Insiders say that LeBlanc has a strong sense of recognizing which political issues are serious ones compared to what;s just the noise of the day—a skill that comes from decades of being around the political process. His longstanding relationship with the prime minister gives him a unique voice when speaking to Trudeau, and he is regarded as a key player in the Atlantic region, one of the Liberals’ key bases of support.

Seamus O’Regan, labour and seniors minister

A long-time friend of Trudeau, Seamus O’Regan is able to speak and be heard by the prime minister in a way that others are not. O’Regan is responsible for a key bill in the coming session: the anti-scab legislation which would ban federally regulated employers from using replacement workers during strikes and lockouts. That bill remains one of the key outstanding deliverables in the deal with the NDP that keeps the government in power. As one of his party’s top figures in Atlantic Canada, O’Regan spoke out last year over the impact the carbon tax was having on Liberal support in the region. Insiders say he will be a vital player in the party’s efforts to keep its Atlantic seats during the next federal campaign because of his ability to deliver the party’s key messages in that region.

Mark Holland, health minister

Mark Holland is responsible for some of the key files required to keep in place the supply-and-confidence agreement between the Liberals and NDP—which has the potential to keep the Liberals in power for longer and delay an election at a time when their polling numbers are slumping. This includes managing the ongoing rollout of dentalcare, as well as continued negotiations on pharmacare. His previous role as government House leader is seen as an asset to his work on these files because of the relationships he built with key New Democrats. Holland must also continue to negotiate with provinces and territories on a number of outstanding bilateral deals on health-care funding.

The Liberal caucus

Since the Trudeau government first came to power in 2015, now is the first time the Liberal caucus has slowly started to assert its influence. The most recent example is the carbon tax carve out for Atlantic Canada where Liberal MPs from the region asserted their clout and convinced the prime minister to create an exception. Another example is the caucus members taking independent positions on the Hamas-Israel war.

The key reason for the caucus being more influential is that the prime minister and the party he leads has been trailing the Conservatives by a high double-digit margin for months which has emboldened the backbench to speak up and provide the leader with their candid feedback. 

Steven MacKinnon, government House leader

After Karina Gould started her parental leave recently, Steven MacKinnon now is serving as the government House leader.

In a minority government, the job of the government House leader is critical for all federal parties, but especially the government caucus. Since the opposition parties currently outnumber the government, an election is only one defeat away in a confidence vote. The House leader holds the delicate responsibility of negotiating with opposition parties on the legislative agenda, and to keep a smooth working relationship. To stickhandle the legislative agenda successfully, the House leader has to be a master of the carrot-and-stick strategy to get things done in a testy political environment. 

Steven Guilbeault, environment and climate change minister

While Canadians’ focus on the fight against climate change may have waned during the pandemic, the issue and the Liberal government’s response to it, led by Steven Guilbeault, was front-of-mind in 2023 as record-breaking wildfires raged across much of the country this summer. As the face of Canada’s fight against climate change, the former longtime environmental activist made several major announcements, including new Clean Fuel Regulations to cut emissions from the production, processing and transportation of diesel and gasoline; Clean Energy Regulations (CER) imposing a net-zero emissions grid by 2035; mandating 100 per cent of new cars and light trucks be net-zero vehicles by 2035, and the signing of a Global Methane Pledge at the COP 28 climate conference in Dubai. However, while some may cast him as the leading protagonist in Canada’s fight against climate change, he hasn’t been afraid to act as antagonist to provincial premieres like Alberta’s Danielle Smith, who launched a national ad campaign accusing Guilbeault and the CER of forcing Canadians to “freeze in the dark.” 

Jonathan Wilkinson, energy and natural resources minister

As Guilbeault’s relationship with the provinces and the energy sector became increasingly acrimonious, Jonathan Wilkinson’s role as “good cop” has only increased over the past year as he worked to deliver on the country’s critical mineral strategy, negotiated major investments with Stellantis to build an EV manufacturing facility, and grappled with Canada’s ability to transport natural resources to its global trading partners—an issue made only more pressing in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year before. In a year when the environment topped the list of federal lobbyists’ most discussed topics, it was Wilkinson who received the largest share of those lobbying efforts. 

Arif Virani, justice minister

Rising from parliamentary secretary into one of the most important—and challenging—portfolios in last year’s cabinet shuffle, Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani is the government’s point man when it comes to growing anxieties about crime in Canada. Already juggling bail reform, medical assistance in dying, and judicial appointments, Virani is expected to add to his workload with the introduction of an online harms bill later this year. On that front, he will need to find a balance between privacy concerns and growing instances of hate crimes to build support for changes to how online platforms are held accountable.

Bill Blair, defence minister

Leading a department that faces a seemingly unending series of crises—from recruitment and retention, sexual misconduct and the need for culture change, to lacklustre personnel, and equipment readiness—Bill Blair brings less profile to the role than his predecessor, but he remains a trusted member of Trudeau’s cabinet. Many in the defence circle await anxiously for the long-delayed defence policy review, which was first spotlighted in the 2022 federal budget as a “swift” exercise. Toronto’s former top cop will have to handle the need for increased investment with orders to cut the department’s budget as it no longer can meet its own requirements in conducting concurrent operations. With the two-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blair’s challenge will be to continue to support Kyiv’s war efforts as Western support shows cracks.   

Anita Anand, president of the Treasury Board

As president of the Treasury Board, Anita Anand oversees hundreds of thousands of federal public servants, and is tasked with keeping an eye on government departments and spending. “Treasury Board impacts just about everything in government,” one political expert told The Hill Times following Anand’s shuffle into the position. Anand has instructed ministers to cut $15.4-billion in spending, a direction the finance minister announced in the March 2023 budget.

Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP

With the Liberal caucus divided amid the continued fallout of the Israel-Hamas war, Anthony Housefather has been the loudest voice pushing for Canada to support Israel’s effort, including to oppose South Africa’s application against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The Montreal-area MP has been a lightning rod for Conservative MPs to attack the Liberal government’s record for its support for Israel.

He has joined forces with caucus colleague and former public safety minister Marco Mendicino to urge their party publicly to take a stronger position backing Israel, as other Liberal MPs are calling for restraint and for Canada to condemn Israel’s actions, which has led Housefather, as chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group, to be ideological foes with fellow Liberal MP Salma Zahid, chair of the Canada-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Jagmeet Singh, NDP leader

While he’s nowhere near as powerful as the Conservatives’ slogan of “NDP-Liberal coalition” may suggest, Jagmeet Singh’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the governing party is in no small part responsible for the Liberal minority government’s continuation beyond its anticipated two-year shelf life. The agreement has brought his party’s key priorities to fruition, including dental care and forthcoming pharmacare legislation. The challenge is in claiming the credit for those achievements as the policies are delivered under a Liberal banner. Still, Singh holds an outsized influence for the leader of the Commons’ fourth-largest party, and that will hold as long as the agreement does.

Melissa Lantsman, Conservative deputy leader

It’s safe to say few Conservatives rival Melissa Lantsman when it comes to her frequency of public appearances, giving the Thornhill, Ont., MP a strong voice outside the House to match her prominence during Question Period. Her activity in 2023 included high-profile events such as meeting the Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, in March to discuss a commitment to help the nation fight for freedom, and speaking about foreign policy during the Canada Strong and Free Network’s annual conference in Ottawa. She also brings her community connections to the table as an open member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and as the first Jewish woman elected to the Conservative Party.

Tim Uppal, Conservative deputy leader

As one of four Indo-Canadian MPs among the Conservatives, Tim Uppal represents a community of about 1.8 million Indian Canadians, or about four per cent of the population. The number of Indians becoming permanent residents in Canada is growing rapidly, increasing 260 per cent between 2013 and 2022, according to Immigration Canada. Uppal, who represents Edmonton Mill Woods, Alta., wields influence serving as deputy leader for his party since 2022 along with Lantsman. He has also occupied important roles for the Conservatives back in the government of then-prime minister Stephen Harper as minister of state for democratic reform, and later as minister of state for multiculturalism.

Andrew Scheer, Conservative House leader

Behind party leader Pierre Poilievre, Andrew Scheer is the most prominent Conservative prosecuting the case against the government in the House. Scheer has used his knowledge of procedure and convention to achieve his party’s parliamentary—and promotional—objectives. Last year, he led the outrage over then-Speaker Anthony Rota’s decision to honour a man who fought in a Waffen-SS unit during the Second World War. He then turned on Rota’s successor, Greg Fergus, whose appearance in a video aired at a partisan event risked the possibility of the House having three Speakers in one year. Expect more of the same in 2024 as Tories present themselves as a government-in-waiting.

Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc Québécois leader

The NDP’s supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals has perhaps pushed the influence of the Bloc Québécois—the party with the third most seats behind the Liberals and the Conservatives—to the side. Nonetheless, Yves-François Blanchet is always an option for the government to deal with if the NDP buttress fails. Even so, Blanchet is—and always has been—most interested in advocating for the rights, values, and nationhood of Quebecers. His party has much influence in the seat-rich province of Quebec, where Blanchet has picked up the support that Trudeau dropped along the way since 2015. As long as he can hold onto his support in his own province, Blanchet will be a relevant and prickly thorn in the side of whomever wants to form government as he has successfully re-trenched the Bloc as an alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives in Quebec. To pick up seats in that province, they’ll have to go through him first.

Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative MP and Quebec lieutenant 

The Conservatives have their work cut out for them in Quebec, where they currently only hold nine seats. It’s difficult, but not impossible, to form government without courting Quebec. Stephen Harper’s 2011 majority came with only five seats in that province. But electoral success comes much easier to those who can make in-roads in la belle province, and Pierre Paul-Hus, as his party’s Quebec lieutenant, is responsible for convincing Quebecers that Poilievre not only represents their interests better than the francophone Trudeau—who won 38 of the 78 available seats in that province in 2021—but also better than the Bloc Québécois, which held onto 32 seats through 2019 and 2021. 

Chris Warkentin, Conservative deputy whip and QP co-ordinator

As the official opposition’s deputy whip and Question Period co-ordinator, Chris Warkentin holds real influence over which Conservative MPs get to raise questions and local issues in the House of Commons on a daily basis. A good friend Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer, insiders say the two work in tandem, with Scheer directing his attention towards external players like the House of Commons administration and other party House leaders, while Warkentin handles dealing with the internal players in the CPC caucus. Warkentin is also trusted by Poilievre to deliver advice directly to the leader.

Leslyn Lewis, Conservative MP

After two runs at the party leadership, Conservative MP for Haldimond–Norfolk, Ont., Leslyn Lewis has since landed on the Conservatives’ front bench as the critic for infrastructure and communities. Lewis has tapped into some of the issues embraced by a more social conservative base, often making her latest cause célèbre a lightning rod for opposing party attacks, and forcing an OLO decision of whether or not to respond. In her leadership quest, Lewis collected a decent—and very online—following that represents a part of the Conservatives’ big tent that the leader is trying to pull back from the People’s Party of Canada, making her a unique voice in a sea of party discipline that isn’t easily silenced.

Peter Julian, NDP House leader

Peter Julian finds himself in a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, he must work with his Liberal counterpart to ensure his party’s supply-and-confidence agreement keeps the House running smoothly. On the other hand, he must ensure the NDP retains an independent voice from the Liberals. That has meant criticizing the Liberals’ numerous misdeeds and ethical lapses while seeking to find a suitable punishment that stops short of bringing down the government. The continued operation of the House—without so much as a hint of an election anytime soon—is testament to Julian’s successful navigation of this conundrum. 

Heather McPherson, NDP MP and foreign affairs critic

From the outset of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza, Heather McPherson was one of the loudest voices seeking the protection of civilians from the violence. As the Liberal caucus faced an internal battle over calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, McPherson and the NDP led the charge in holding the government to task over its response in the House, in the process being labelled “Hamas supporters” by Conservative MP Jake Stewart. Expect sustained pressure from the NDP on foreign policy in the new year.

Don Davies, NDP MP and health critic

As the NDP’s long-time health critic, Don Davies has developed a mastery over his file that has earned the trust of party leadership and the confidence of his caucus colleagues. This makes him an asset in the ongoing negotiations with the Liberals on key supply-and-confidence agreement items like pharmacare. While the leader’s office also plays a role in these negotiations, insiders say that—especially as the fourth party in the House, with fewer staff resources—it becomes more necessary to turn to party critics like Davies for their expertise on these files. His strong commitment to having learned the ins and outs of the health portfolio, his negotiation skills from his background as a labour lawyer, and his ability to form personal relationship are also regarded as assets.

Charlie Angus, NDP MP and natural resources critic

First elected in 2004, Charlie Angus will celebrate 20 years in office this year, making him one of the longest-serving NDP MPs. Angus is a vocal MP, and some party insiders note he can function as a “pressure valve” for the membership’s frustrations 

As natural resources critic, Angus has been involved in figuring out what a just transition away from oil and gas looks like for workers. It’s a delicate balance for a party that’s fighting the Conservatives for the support of the working class, while also pushing the Liberals on climate policy. Angus’ experience and willingness to drive the conversation means he continues to play a role in shaping the NDP of today. 

Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta

Bringing the United Conservative Party back from the brink to win the 2023 provincial election, Danielle Smith has never strayed far from the headlines. Demonstrating a populist path to victory, and with a caucus largely devoid of MLAs from more moderate urban ridings, Smith encapsulates an unapologetic conservatism that her federal colleagues are keenly watching. Her government has even lobbied residents of other provinces to pressure the feds, as energy security ads hit the airwaves well beyond the Prairies. It remains to be seen, however, whether Smith’s gamble on an Alberta Pension Plan will sit well with constituents.

Doug Ford, premier of Ontario

Nearing the midpoint of his second mandate, Doug Ford finds himself bruised by a series of scandals in the past year. Though his Progressive Conservative Party enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls, the outrage over Toronto’s Greenbelt damaged the government in a way that previous controversies had not. An ascendant provincial Liberal Party united behind new leader Bonnie Crombie could cause further headaches in “Ford Nation.” Still, as the provincial leader of more than a third of Canadians, and with an electoral alliance roughly matching that of the federal Liberals in the Greater Toronto Area, Ford’s voice still matters.

François Legault, premier of Quebec

Quebec’s next election is still two and a half years away, and the federal Liberals and their sizable caucus from the province cannot afford to upset Premier François Legault. But the once-popular leader cannot claim as much authority as he used to, with a series of polls showing his party hemorrhaging support. Coalition Avenir Québec has maintained popularity via culture wars since 2018, but bread-and-butter issues such as labour relations, infrastructure, and education have pushed the party into second place. Whether Legault turns his focus inward to stem the bleeding, or outward to fight the feds, remains to be seen.

Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan

Ontario and Quebec welcomed a new member to the “Notwithstanding Clause Club” in 2023. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe pre-emptively invoked the Charter override in a bill that would require schools to seek parental consent before using a child’s gender-related preferred name or pronoun. In a year in which a series of anti-LGBTQI+ protests were held across the country, Moe laid out his positions far more firmly than his federal Conservative counterparts, who have publicly tiptoed around the issue. Facing an election this October, Moe’s pitch is as a bulwark against a federal government that doesn’t hold a single riding in his province.

Marc Gold, government representative in the Senate

The government cannot get anything done without the consent of the Red Chamber, whether they like it or not. Ten years to the day since Liberal leader Justin Trudeau expelled all the party’s Senators from caucus, the Senate is now a place where partisan concerns matter less than navigating the myriad of amendments, chopping and changing that second sober thought decrees. That’s where Quebec Senator Marc Gold comes in as he both defends the government in the Senate, and strives to pass its bills through as unchanged as possible.

Donald Plett, leader of the Senate’s Conservative caucus 

The Senate Conservatives are the sole holdout against the idea of an “independent,” non-partisan Red Chamber, and the caucus holds a greater influence than its membership of 15 may suggest. Manitoba Senator Don Plett holds the dual task of opposing government legislation while advancing the interests of his Conservative colleagues in the House. His efforts saw greater scrutiny and public attention on Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and more recently on Conservative private member’s bill C-234, which would create some carbon tax exemptions for on-farm activity. Plett is an essential part of the Conservatives’ appeal to Canadian voters.

Raymonde Saint-Germain, facilitator of the Independent Senators Group

Quebec Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain leads the largest bloc in the Senate as facilitator of the Independent Senators Group. As its name suggests, keeping the cohort of independently minded Senators in line leaves Saint-Germain with an unenviable task, and one that the government ignores as its peril if it hopes to see the swift passage of bills through the Red Chamber.

Political influencers

Jenni Byrne, Conservative strategist

Widely regarded as being the most influential Conservative after Pierre Poilievre, Jenni Byrne’s official title may be ambiguous, say insiders, but her job is clear: win the next election. Byrne is on all of the morning calls setting strategy for the day, and she played a central role in Poilievre’s image makeover following byelection losses last year. Byrne took a large share of the blame for the Conservatives’ election loss in 2015, but insiders say she has clawed her way back to being a force in the party because of her determination and round-the-clock work ethic. Politics is her entire life. Her effectiveness also stems from the fact that she does not operate from an ivory tower, but keeps her finger directly on the pulse of all day-to-day elements of preparing for an election campaign.

Anaida Poilievre

Anaida Poilievre, known as Ana to many, is not only wife to the Conservative leader, but she is known to be one of his most influential advisers. She’s also an essential part of Poilievre’s strategy in Quebec, where her family immigrated to from Venezuela in 1995 and where she grew up. She has proven her chops as a bilingual political orator at Conservative conventions where she’s received with standing ovations. She is an asset to Poilievre in branding him not only as a family man, but also as a pan-Canadian who is from Alberta, represents an Ontario riding, speaks French, and is married to an immigrant from Montreal.

Mike Crase and Jeremy Liedtke, Conservative Party ops

To most political watchers, the next election is the Conservatives’ to lose. The key reason for this expectation is the Pierre Poilievre-led Conservative Party’s popularity across the country. But to win the next election, the party have to be election ready. This is where Mike Crase, the executive director of the Conservative Party, and Jeremy Liedtke, director of political operations, come in. Crase is the most senior party official in the party headquarters, and is in charge of all party functions, including organization, fundraising, data, polling, among others. Prior to taking on this role, he served as the executive director of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. He held the provincial party’s top position when the Doug Ford Progressive Conservatives won two back-to-back majority victories.

Liedtke works closely with Crase to ensure his party wins the next election, and will be in charge of ensuring that the party’s get-out-the-vote operations work smoothly on election day whenever it is called. Liedtke is a long-time Poilievre staffer who managed his re-election campaign in 2019, and served as campaign director during his 2022 leadership run.

Robert Staley, chair of the Conservative Fund

As chair of the Conservative Fund, lawyer Robert Staley controls the party’s coffers—and under Poilievre, they have been pulling in record amounts of money. At the Conservative Party convention in November 2023, Staley updated the party membership on the big spending it was doing to match its big fundraising numbers—including a $3-million ad-buy. The party is seeing a return on its investments in Poilievre’s rise in the polls. As a result, the spending, and fundraising—both of which outflank the Liberals—will continue into 2024. 

Derek Robinson and Paul Taillon of Mash Strategy

Two of the key players behind Poilievre’s considerable traction on social media, particularly through the use of videos, are Derek Robinson, CEO, and Paul Taillon, chief strategy officer, of the communications firm Mash Strategy. Insiders say that Poilievre has been working particularly closely with Taillon in recent months. The firm offers advice on key messages and scripting of the video content featuring Poilievre, and then works on distributing and amplifying it to reach the leader’s large online following. Other key figures in Poilievre’s success online include Jeff Pierce, an independent producer who is involved in the production of many videos. A long-time advocate of longform video content, Pierce worked directly with Poilievre on crafting the longform housing documentary he released last fall.

Lucy Watson, NDP national director 

The NDP kicked off 2024 with a shakeup to its senior leadership, adding Lucy Watson to the team as its new national director. Watson’s 20 years of experience as a director of organizing with the Canadian Federation of Students might prove valuable to the party as it looks to step up its ground game in anticipation of the next election. As national director, Watson will be responsible for fundraising, staffing, and strategic planning. More recently, Watson spent five years heading up the Ontario NDP, where she oversaw the party break fundraising records and organized a leadership contest as its executive director. She’s no stranger to the federal scene either, having served as deputy chief of staff to both Tom Mulcair and Singh. 

Nik Nanos, founder of Nanos Research

Nik Nanos has his thumb firmly on the pulse of federal politics. Whether focused on voting intentions, consumer confidence, environmental concerns, or satisfaction with government, Nanos and his eponymous polling firm present a clear picture of how Canadians are feeling about the state of politics. The firm’s weekly tracking, in which 1,000 Canadians are interviewed over a four-week rolling average, also gives a unique insight in voter sentiment beyond a single snapshot in time.

Jean-Marc Léger, president and founder of polling firm Léger

Billing itself as the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics company, Léger and its founder Jean-Marc Léger did not slow down in 2023. The Quebec-based polling firm received an “A” rating for its accuracy in last year’s Alberta election. In addition to providing media commentary, Léger dives deep into Canadians’ thoughts on issues such as economics, health, climate change, immigration, and energy.

David Coletto, founder, chair and CEO of Abacus Data

When David Coletto releases polling numbers, Ottawa listens. Whether in media interviews, the industry convention circuit, or on his own X account and Substack, Coletto provides both data and insights on everything from federal party polling to social issues and industry-specific challenges. An arrangement to provide federal polling exclusively to The Toronto Star means Abacus’ relevance to the national discussion will continue this year. 

David Cohen, U.S. ambassador to Canada

The most important and influential ambassador in Ottawa, David Cohen has close proximity to U.S. President Joe Biden, having been a top donor during the last presidential election. With election fever ramping up once again south of the 49^th parallel, the former telecoms executive will remain a key focal point for nourishing links in the White House and on Capitol Hall, with Washington’s focus glued to Nov. 5. Cohen has proclaimed a renaissance in trust in the Canada-U.S. relationship after the Trump years, but a victory if Donald Trump retakes the White House this fall, Cohen will be packing his bags early next year. At times, some in Ottawa have wished for Cohen to take a more activist role championing the bilateral relationship.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association

Flavio Volpe leads the lobby group that represents suppliers to the big automakers in Canada. The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association says its industry employs 100,000 people and churns out $35-billion of business each year. Still, Volpe has made himself into a bigger player in the lobbying world than his title might suggest, as evidenced by his recent invitation to the Liberal cabinet retreat to brief on the Canada-U.S. relationship.

Volpe is an adept, old-school communicator who shapes headlines by trading in information, rather than workshopped talking points. Representing auto-part manufacturers gives him a chance to make his presence felt whenever the government or media are discussing policies for industry, environment, Canada-U.S. relations, and increasingly, China. He often makes the most of that chance. (Fun fact: Volpe is the son of former Paul Martin-era Liberal minister Joe Volpe.

Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress

Bea Bruske has been at the helm of the Canadian Labour Congress since her initial appointment in 2021 and her re-election for a second term in 2023. The largest labour organization in Canada representing more than 3 million workers across the country, Bruske has navigated through a number of labour disputes in recent months and may be in store for more labour disruptions as affordability issues continue to loom large in 2024. Bruske wrote on social media on Jan. 12: “2023 was the year workers were reawakened to their collective power and used their tenacity to achieve significant deals.”

Cindy Woodhouse, Assembly of First Nations national chief

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse took the helm of an organization reeling from internal divisions after the controversial ouster of its previous chief RoseAnne Archibald. Some within the group believe it needs to get back to its grassroots purpose as a resistance movement, and that’s where Woodhouse pledged to take the organization when she was elected by regional chiefs on Dec. 7, 2023. Part of her new role will be assisting with the distribution of the historic $23.3-billion child welfare settlement, for which Woodhouse was the chief negotiator in her capacity as the Manitoba regional chief with the AFN.

Political staff

Katie Telford, PMO chief of staff

Officially the longest-serving chief of staff in PMO history, Katie Telford remains the only one Trudeau has relied on since the Liberals formed government back in 2015. As the most senior cabinet staffer and “she who carries the biggest stick” in her soft-spoken boss’ office, Telford’s influence is ever-present inside cabinet and caucus meetings as well as the negotiations required to implement and maintain the supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP. As one of the last people still standing from the inner circle that led the Liberals to a majority government more than eight years ago, is Telford’s power and influence enough to steer the government to another election victory?

Brian Clow, PMO deputy chief of staff 

Brian Clow has been one of two deputy chiefs of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since the 2021 election. The more outward-facing of the pair, Clow brings plenty of political experience to the table as a former senior adviser to then-Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, and has been a senior staffer at the federal level since 2015. In the PMO, he’s focused on stakeholder outreach, policy (with particular chops on the Canada-U.S. relations file), issues management, and parliamentary affairs related advice—all key to steering the federal government ship through whatever domestic or international political swells may come. 

Marjorie Michel, PMO deputy chief of staff 

Working in tandem with Clow is Marjorie Michel, who’s been working for the Trudeau government overall since 2016, and is a past chief of staff to two ministers. With a background in law, Michel is responsible for planning, administration, and human resources for the top office—including running the PMO’s regular chiefs of staff meetings—and also offers Quebec advice, no doubt drawing from her own experience working at the national assembly. (Fun fact: Michel is the daughter of late Haitian prime minister Smarck Michel.)

Rick Theis, PMO acting policy director

Though his title may be “acting”, Rick Theis has stepped into a critical role at a critical time, with increasing expectations that the next election is nearer on the horizon than fall 2025. An ex-chief of staff, Theis was most recently strategic adviser for special projects, he previously ran the PMO’s COVID response unit, and was policy director (under an executive director) between 2020 and 2021. A trusted adviser to the PM, Theis—alongside Telford—is a key point-person in the Liberal government’s relationship with the NDP.  

Ben Chin, PMO senior adviser 

Ben Chin is coming up on his fifth year as a senior adviser to Trudeau, and remains a dominant voice at the top table. While he’s got a background in media and communications—including as a former CBC news anchor and adviser to two premiers (Dalton McGuinty in Ontario, and Christy Clark in B.C.)—Chin’s work for the PMO largely focuses on liaising with industry leaders and stakeholders, for which he no doubt draws on his experience as an ex-adviser and chief of staff to then-finance minister Bill Morneau. 

Patrick Travers, PMO senior adviser 

Another PMO senior adviser, Patrick Travers helps oversee global affairs files in Trudeau’s office, including international relations—and Canada-U.S. relations within that—trade, defence, and international development. Given the current rocky geopolitical landscape, and with at least 64 countries expected to hold elections this year (including a presidential race in the U.S.), Travers will be a key player federally in the year to come. An adviser in the PMO since 2016, Travers’ past jobs include work for Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, the Global Centre for Pluralism, and the UN Office on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect. 

Max Valiquette, PMO executive director of communications

Max Valiquette joined the PMO this past fall amid a sustained public opinion polling slump for the Trudeau Liberals. Now the senior-most staffer responsible for the communications, research, and advertising team, Valiquette brings a long CV of experience in marketing, communications, and public speaking to the fore. He’s also a notable injection of new blood, offering a fresh perspective in an office stacked with staff who’ve been in the trenches since the Trudeau government’s first mandate. 

Honourable mention here goes to the PMO’s newest senior adviser, Supriya Dwivedi, a past political pundit and media commentator who started on Jan. 15, and has signalled that her sights are set on combatting disinformation. 

Andrew Bevan, chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland

Andrew Bevan was brought in to run Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s shop last October, armed with years of experience advising political and business leaders alike. While he last worked on the Hill in 2008 (as chief of staff to then-Liberal opposition leader Stéphane Dion), Bevan is well known to many senior cabinet staffers both outside and inside the PMO, including from his time as a top adviser (and chief of staff) to Wynne as then-Ontario premier. An experienced and respected hand charged with running the second-most important government office, Bevan’s power and influence is undeniable. 

Peter Wilkinson, chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly

From Russia to China to the Middle East, global affairs have proven an active and ever-changing challenge for the Trudeau government to navigate. Peter Wilkinson has been running Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly’s office for the past year, and is another experienced and trusted hand at the till. Previously described as “running a tight ship” during his time as chief of staff to then-Ontario premier McGuinty, Wilkinson is also a former chief to then-Ontario finance minister Greg Sorbara, and was most recently global head of regulatory and public affairs for Manulife. (Fun fact: former Ontario revenue minister John Wilkinson is his brother.)

Bud Sambasivam, director of policy to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland

A former PMO policy adviser, Bud Sambasivam has been advising Freeland since 2019, and was promoted to director status at the end 2022. A former engineer and McKinsey & Company consultant, Sambasivam was new to political work when he first landed in Trudeau’s office in 2018. Today, he’s one of the busiest staffers on the Hill, and has a guiding hand in the formation of the federal budget—a role that’s all the more important given the possibility that this year’s federal budget could be the Trudeau government’s last before the next election. 

Anne McGrath, principal secretary to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

NDP matriarch Anne McGrath recently left her post as national director of the party to join NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s team on the Hill as principal secretary to the leader. A former chief of staff to then-leader Jack Layton and principal secretary to then-Alberta premier Rachel Notley, McGrath is a well-known and respected force among the NDP fold, including the federal caucus. Even before joining Singh’s parliamentary office, she’s had a prominent seat at the table in discussions (and negotiations) with the Liberals, which will be all the more key as the clock ticks down to a potential federal election. 

Jennifer Howard, chief of staff to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

Jennifer Howard was brought in to run Singh’s leader’s office on the Hill in December 2018, and by all accounts has been a steady hand at the wheel. She brings senior political experience and focus to the role as a former Manitoba cabinet minister, and alongside McGrath is a key figure representing the NDP when it comes to relations with the governing Liberals and seeing through the terms of the NDP-Liberal supply-and-confidence agreement. 

Ian Todd, chief of staff to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

Operating from firmly behind the proverbial curtain, Ian Todd has been running Pierre Poilievre’s office as official opposition leader since Poilievre’s election to the Conservative Party helm in September 2022. He’s got a long history with Canadian conservative parties, including as a former aide to then-Reform leader Preston Manning, and an ex-chief of staff to then-Alliance leader Stockwell Day and then-Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. Todd’s political bona fides include a focus on tour and logistics work, having orchestrated successful campaign tours for Harper, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and now-former Alberta premier Jason Kenney during his 2017 leadership run. A former GM executive, Todd was the Ford government’s representative to Washington, D.C., from 2018 to 2021.

Rheal Lewis, chief of staff to the Government House Leader

Rheal Lewis has been chief of staff to successive Liberal government House leaders since 2016, and before then was a legislative adviser in Trudeau’s PMO. He’s also a past senior parliamentary affairs adviser to then-interim Liberal leader Bob Rae. That weight of experience is all the more key now as the government works to push through its legislative agenda with an interim government House leader at the helm, particularly in light of the ever-shortening runway to the next election.

David Prest, director of parliamentary affairs to Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer

When used effectively, the levers of parliamentary procedure can either disrupt or derail the government’s agenda. As parliamentary affairs lead to current Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer, David Prest is a key mastermind behind the official opposition’s plans of attack in the Commons, leveraging his roughly four decades-deep history working for Tory Whips and House leaders on the Hill. 

Honourable mention here goes to Adam Church and Colin Thackeray, who work under Prest as senior parliamentary advisers to Scheer, and are both experienced staffers in their own rights. 

Jamie Kippen, chief of staff to Environment and Climate Change Minister Steve Guilbeault 

Jamie Kippen was moved in to run Environment and Climate Change Minister Steve Guilbeault’s office after last summer’s shuffle—his third cabinet chief of staff posting. Kippen brings a sharp political lens to the role as a long-time Liberal political organizer, including as a past operations director for the Ontario Liberal Party, and as national field director and senior director of election readiness for the Liberals during the last federal race. With the prospect of an election looming—and with the environment still an important—if beleaguered—file to the Trudeau government’s trademark, Kippen is a key player to watch.

Elise Wagner, director of policy to International Trade Minister Mary Ng 

Elise Wagner was tapped to run International Trade Minister Mary Ng’s policy shop in the fall of 2022 after roughly four years as a Canada-U.S. relations adviser in the PMO. Trade is an important file for any federal government, and on the agenda this year are recently stalled trade talks with the United Kingdom, alongside a number of smaller trade pacts, and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership accession talks. Canada-U.S. trade relations are also an ever-present area of concern—particularly with a presidential election on the horizon and another softwood lumber flare-up—and with her experience on the file, Wagner is a respected voice within the top ranks of the Trudeau government.

Ian Foucher, chief of staff to Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne 

An ex-senior analyst with the Bank of Canada, policy director to then-finance minister Morneau, and past senior manager with Deloitte Consulting, Ian Foucher officially became chief of staff to Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne in March 2023, after roughly a year acting in the role. Leading one of the government’s most significant cabinet offices, Foucher wields plenty of power and influence from among the federal senior staff fold, and as an interlocutor between government and industry. 

Public servants

David Morrison, deputy minister of foreign affairs

One of the most trusted advisers for those in the PMO on all things foreign affairs, David Morrison is one of the rare Number Twos at Global Affairs Canada to bring diplomatic experience to the role in recent history. A former foreign and defence policy adviser to Trudeau, Morrison has built up a strong rapport with the prime minister, as well as his chief adviser, Telford, and her senior staff. While keeping his eye on the shifting geopolitical landscape, he is also playing an active role in the department’s modernization. Prior to his current posting, Morrison served as deputy minister for international trade. He was also Trudeau’s G7 sherpa from 2018 to 2023.

Stephen de Boer, foreign and defence policy adviser to the prime minister

Always flanking Trudeau during foreign policy discussions and decisions, Stephen de Boer’s proximity to the prime minister as his foreign and defence policy adviser in the Privy Council Office gives him automatic influence. From the Middle East, China, India, the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine, whenever Trudeau is talking foreign policy, de Boer will be in the room. A two-time former ambassador—to Poland, and to the World Trade Organization—de Boer took up the new post last March after a brief posting at Environment and Climate Change Canada dealing with international affairs as an assistant deputy minister. De Boer reports to the national security and intelligence adviser in the PCO.  

Kirsten Hillman, ambassador to the U.S.

Considered Canada’s most important ambassador, Kirsten Hillman has been a trusted advisor to Trudeau and his closest allies since the early days of his government when she helped stickhandle Canada’s Pacific Rim trade across the finish line. Since then, she has been in Washington, D.C., for the last six and a half years, first as deputy ambassador, and later as acting and then full-fledged ambassador—a role she has been in since 2020. The first woman to be Canada’s top diplomat in the U.S., she has extensive experience dealing with the Trump chaos, including during the NAFTA renegotiations. Hillman was seen north of the 49^th parallel this month when she briefed cabinet during its winter retreat.    

Bob Rae, ambassador to the United Nations

Known for his impassioned speeches and a frankness not seen often in Canada’s diplomatic corps, Bob Rae has been given flexibility to operate, even pushing the envelope further than what is being done at Global Affairs Canada’s headquarters. The former NDP Ontario premier turned interim federal Liberal leader has been praised for his work on public diplomacy, bringing the usual behind-the-scenes world of statecraft to the forefront. Canada’s balancing act in its votes at the UN responding to the Israel-Hamas has put Rae increasingly under the spotlight.

Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff

Largely seen to have inherited the messiest state of affairs of any peacetime chief of the defence staff, Wayne Eyre has been charged with righting the ship amid a culture in crisis in the Armed Forces, and a worsening ability to respond to geopolitical challenges around the world. The former Army commander has given public warnings about the danger presented to Canada and the West from China and Russia. Eyre has built close relationships with uniformed American officials in the Pentagon who prefer to deal with other soldiers and not politicians. On Jan. 12, the general announced he will be retiring this summer.

Marie-Josée Hogue, foreign interference public inquiry commissioner

A Quebec appeals court judge who was picked to lead the foreign interference public inquiry, Marie-Josée Hogue will be in the spotlight as the commission holds public hearings in the early part of 2024 and again in the fall, with a final report to be released by year’s end. As the inquiry looks into interference by China, Russia, and other states during the last two federal elections, the Liberal government’s actions will be put under the microscope. Hogue has already been on the receiving end of partisan rancour after she rejected the Conservatives as having a full party standing for the inquiry, which in turn cast doubt on the credibility of the process.   

Public Servants

John Hannaford, clerk of the Privy Council

Bringing a wealth of experience to the public service’s top job, John Hannaford sits at the top of the federal public service as clerk of the Privy Council Office. Replacing Janice Charette in the role back in June 2023—who served as clerk twice in her career—Hannaford moved into the role with time spent as deputy minister of natural resources, deputy minister of international trade, and foreign and defence policy adviser to the prime minister. Hannaford also served as ambassador of Canada to Norway from 2009 to 2012. 

Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council and associate secretary to the cabinet

Following her time as deputy minister of immigration, Christiane (Chris) Fox started her new job on Jan. 27 as second lieutenant to Privy Council Office Clerk John Hannaford. Some experts consider her to be a candidate for the public service’s top job. She has also served as deputy minister of Indigenous services as well as deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs and youth, as well as deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs at the Privy Council Office.

Nathalie Drouin, security and national intelligence adviser to the prime minister

A veteran public servant who most recently served in the critical day-to-day role of government deputy clerk of the Privy Council and associate secretary to cabinet, Nathalie Drouin was recently appointed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s security and national intelligence adviser, replacing Jody Thomas in the role. Drouin also served as deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general from 2017 to 2021. 

Mollie Johnson, deputy secretary to cabinet (plans and consultations), Privy Council Office

Before her appointment to a key role in supporting cabinet behind the scenes, Mollie Johnson held multiple roles in a lengthy stint within natural resources, including as associate deputy minister and concurrently special adviser to the Clerk on decarbonization from 2022 to 2023; assistant deputy minister, low carbon energy sector from 2019 to 2022; and assistant deputy minister, communications and portfolio sector from 2017 to 2019. With the government looking to ramp up its legislative agenda in 2024, Johnson will have her hands full in the months ahead. 

Chris Forbes, deputy minister of finance 

At the helm of one of the most influential departments within the federal public service, Chris Forbes has only had a few months in the top job since his appointment in September 2023. Forbes had a brief stint as deputy minister of environment and climate change following more than half a decade as deputy minister of agriculture. He has experience in the finance department as well, having served as the associate deputy minister from 2016-2017 and assistant deputy minister from 2010-2013.

Arianne Reza, deputy minister of PSPC

Previously serving as associate deputy minister of Public Services and Procurement beginning in August 2021, Arianne Reza was appointed as deputy minister of the department at the beginning of November 2023. Reza has 25 years of experience in the federal public service, including time spent at the Canada Border Services Agency, Treasury Board, and at the Canada School of Public Service as a special adviser to the president. In her new role, Reza will have to navigate the federal government’s procurement processes which usually cost big bucks, and are always under scrutiny. 

Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada

Facing down inflation that’s affected the pocketbooks of Canadians across the board in the latter half of 2023, Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem has a tough job ahead of him 2024 as confidence in the economy remains low. In a year end interview with The Globe and Mail, Macklem said he was “receptive” to hearing recent concerns expressed by the country’s premiers on the Bank of Canada’s interest-rate policy, but warned that “when they give us specific advice about what to do with interest rates, my concern is that that creates a perception, or could create a perception among some Canadians, that the central bank is not independent.” 

Yves Giroux, parliamentary budget officer

With a five per cent key interest rate in place until the spring of 2024, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux’s office warned back in October that the economy will stagnate six months into the new year, with the federal budget projected to rise to $46.5-billion in 2023-2024. Keeping a close eye on government spending, Giroux plays a critical watchdog role who makes headlines whenever new reports on the life cycle cost of new F-35 fighter jets or the long-term sustainability of government finances. 

Paul Thompson, deputy minister of employment and social development

Previously the deputy minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, Paul Thompson was appointed as deputy minister of employment and social development in September 2023. Thompson has also worked as the associate deputy minister at Innovation and in the Privy Council Office, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as the Treasury Board Secretariat. 

Harpreet Kochhar, deputy minister at immigration 

With immigration into Canada at record high levels, and increasing pressure on the government to better integrate newcomers and address housing shortages, Harpreet Kochar took the helm on Jan. 27 of a department that’s squarely in the spotlight. Among the latest news, the government announced an intake cap on international student permit applications in 2024. Kochar previously was the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and also served as president of the Public Health Agency of Canada from 2021 to 2023. 

Simon Kennedy, deputy minister of innovation

Previously serving as the prime minister’s representative at the G20, as well as deputy minister at Health Canada, Simon Kennedy has had a long tenure in the public service and has been in his role at the deparment of innovation since September 2019. Kennedy played an instrumental role in helping land a multi-billion investment from Volkswagen to establish its first overseas electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Ont., back in April 2023. 

Karen Hogan, auditor general

Karen Hogan has been in her position since June 2020, and has audited hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending since that time—most notably during and after the pandemic. Her office’s reports to Parliament regularly make news headlines, including findings that the federal government has been struggling with immigration and refugee processing delays, and that more needs to be done to address racism and discrimination in the federal public service workplace. 

Vicky Eatrides, CRTC chairperson and CEO

First joining the federal public service in 2005, Vicky Eatrides has had a lot to think about as chairperson and CEO of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission since her five-year appointment began in January 2023. Eatrides has taught Competition Law courses at Queen’s University, and has spoken at a number of domestic and international conferences and events. She is also a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

Shalene Curtis-Micallef, deputy minister of justice

Appointed as deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general last February, Shalene Curtis-Micallef hasn’t been in the job too long, but it is a critical one within the machinery of government. If there are any hiccups around court challenges against the government or any high-level cases, they will end up on this deputy minister’s desk. Curtis-Micallef acts as the main interface between the political and administrative functions of government. 

Kelly Gillis, deputy minister of infrastructure 

Kelly Gillis has been at the helm of infrastructure and communities since 2017, where she’s been tasked with overseeing public infrastructure, housing, and homelessness policy and programs. One expert pointed out that much of the government’s housing policy has moved away from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and into infrastructure, with the department growing considerably. 

Jacqueline Bogden, chief human resources officer

Appointed to the role in late February 2023, Jacqueline Bogden previously worked as deputy secretary to the cabinet (emergency preparedness and COVID recovery) in the Privy Council Office, as well as with the controlled substances and cannabis branch with health from 2019 to 2022 as assistant deputy minister. 

Bill Matthews, deputy minister of defence

Bill Matthews has a couple of years of experience under his belt as the lead for Canada’s defence department, having served since January 2022. Previously, he served as senior associate deputy minister in the department from 2017 to 2019, and comptroller general of Canada from 2014 to 2017.

Media

Bob Fife and Steven Chase, The Globe and Mail

Bob Fife, Ottawa bureau chief of The Globe and Mail since 2016, and senior parliamentary reporter Steve Chase, who has been covering politics on the Hill since 2001, continue to break exclusive and important national stories that influence the federal government and federal politics. Fife uncovered the Senate expenses scandal between 2012-2014, which led to the resignation of prime minister Stephen Harper‘s chief of staff Nigel Wright, and to big reforms of Senate expenses. He broke the SNC-Lavalin Affair story that led to the resignations of two senior cabinet ministers, the prime minister’s top adviser, and the Clerk of the Privy Council and, in 2021, Maclean’s magazine named him one of Canada’s most powerful people. Fife and Chase, who work on stories together, continue to break stories on foreign interference, the Two Michaels, election disinformation, extortions targeting South Asians across Canada, and more. Fife first started reporting on federal politics in 1974 in the parliamentary bureau for News Radio, and later led the Sun Media bureau, the National Post bureau, and the CTV News bureau before he joined The Globe. The pair have won the Parliamentary Press Gallery’s Charles Lynch Award for outstanding national affairs coverage, and they have won numerous National Newspaper Awards for their investigative work. Hot tickets!

Joël-Denis Bellavance, La Presse Ottawa bureau chief

La Presse’s Ottawa bureau chief Joël-Denis Bellavance, who has been covering the Hill for 30 years, gets one-on-one interviews with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Bellavance won the Parliamentary Press Gallery’s Charles Lynch Award for outstanding national affairs coverage in 2016, and he’s a regular commentator on CPAC and Radio-Canada radio in Ottawa; Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Que.; Sudbury, Ont.; Toronto, Ont.; Windsor, Ont.; and in Quebec City. La Presse+ has 300,000 daily readers, another 300,000 on its mobile app, and 1.2 million unique readers per day on its website. Bellavance is still a must-read in 2024. “What I like best about my job is the fact that I have a chance to meet so many great people from across the country. As a former page in the House of Commons (1986-1987), I still believe that elected MPs deserve our respect. It is a noble profession and those who sit in the House of Commons, no matter their political affiliation, are trying to improve the lives of Canadians and their constituents. Also, I like writing about politics on a daily basis, the political intrigues and so,” Bellavance told The Hill Times.

Will LeRoy, founder of National Newswatch

Will LeRoy, the low-profile editor of the go-to news aggregator National Newswatch since 2006, continues to be an influential player on the government and federal politics because of the news stories, columns, and podcasts he chooses to post on his site every day. Based in Halifax, LeRoy’s curated news is a must-read every day and throughout the day. Said LeRoy to The Hill Times: “While I don’t take for granted the influence Newswatch may have on federal politics and the government, I certainly believe it’s reasonable to assume that most governments are cognizant of the media coverage they receive, both positive and negative. This awareness often prompts them to consider and potentially take remedial actions in response to the insights and critiques provided by the broader media, including Newswatch. Did I tell you I love my job?”

Vassy Kapelos, CTV News chief political correspondent

As the host of the weekday political program Power Play, the Sunday morning show Question Period, and the weekday national radio program The Vassy Kapelos Show, Vassy Kapelos has a full agenda over at CTV. She’s a force in Canadian political media, and has influence to be able to get relevant ministers in the hot seat on tough news days. So she should, after holding influential positions at three major Canadian broadcasters—CTV, CBC, and Global—over the last 10 years. Her shows are watched on a regular basis by politicos in Ottawa who want to know what politicians, pundits, and analysts are saying about the story of the day.

David Cochrane, host of CBC’s Power & Politics

Filling Kapelos’ shoes at CBC’s Power & Politics this past year has been Newfoundlander David Cochrane, who officially took the reigns of the network’s weekday political show in February 2023. Cochrane’s 5 p.m. show, featuring pundits, politicians, and other decision-makers, informs Ottawa and beyond. His framing of political events, the questions he asks, the guests he invites: all of it contributes to Ottawa’s and Canadians’ understanding of Parliament. Cochrane faces the additional pressure of working for a public broadcaster while the Conservative Party aggressively makes the case his employer shouldn’t exist. Cochrane keeps an even keel.

“Good Talk” with Peter Mansbridge, Chantal Hébert, and Bruce Anderson

Longevity and experience go a long way in the Parliamentary Precinct, where huge swaths of the working population turnover with election cycles. It’s that long memory that informs the analysis of Peter Mansbridge, whose retirement from the top job at CBC’s The National could not keep him away from the media biz. When he isn’t advertising CHIP reverse mortgages, he’s recording his daily podcast The Bridge, on which he hosts a regular segment called “Good Talk,” featuring Chantal Hébert and Bruce Anderson. The three provide informed political analysis to helps listeners digest daily events and form their own opinions of what happened, guided by the institutional knowledge of people who can easily recall recent historical context and precedent to put things in perspective.

Luke LeBrun, editor of PressProgress

PressProgress is a small non-profit shop with one editor—Luke LeBrun in Ottawa—and three reporters in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba that consistently punches above its weight. It was founded in 2013 by the Broadbent Institute, through which it continues to receive funding, though it says all of its journalistic work is done independently of the Institute, which is affiliated with the NDP.

While the scrappy digital publication does take a left-leaning approach to its journalism, it breaks big stories with big impact in the provinces it covers as well as in Ottawa. Most recently, PressProgress broke a story about how the Canadian Security Intelligence Service is looking into a Conservative Party nomination contest in Brampton, Ont., with questions about India’s involvement. PressProgress offers an interesting, off-the-Hill approach to political reporting that still manages to be exclusive and new.

Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun columnist

Conservative media personalities wield an undeniable influence in the current political landscape. As a current columnist at a legacy newspaper who is also a co-founder of the pseudo-news site Rebel News, Brian Lilley sits on border between “establishment” or mainstream media, and far-right media personalities like his former colleague Ezra Levant has become. Lilley didn’t go as far as Levant has; he distanced himself from the Rebel News project in 2017 when its coverage became too closely aligned with white supremacists for Lilley’s comfort. Interestingly, Lilley can be a sort of litmus test for whether a conservative idea or ideology goes beyond what mainstream conservativism is capable of handling. When he does take a principled stand on certain topics, he finds himself on the receiving end of the same harassment and name-calling (bashed as a mainstream media hack, sell-out, etc.) the far-right is known to enact on anyone they disagree with. His ethics are questionable (he lives with a senior staffer to Ford, whose government he regularly writes about. Until recently, she was Ford’s media director). But, he speaks to conservative and far-right audiences that have checked out of most, if not all, other mainstream media.

—With files from Stuart Benson, Ian Campbell, Jesse Cnockaert, Charelle Evelyn, Kate Malloy, Peter Mazereeuw, and Abbas Rana.

The Hill Times

The Top 100 List

Politicians

• Justin Trudeau, prime minister
• Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance
• Pierre Poilievre, Conservative leader
• François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science, and industry
• Sean Fraser, housing minister
• Mélanie Joly, foreign affairs minister
• Marc Miller, immigration minister
• Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs
• Seamus O’Regan, labour and seniors minister
• Mark Holland, health minister
• The Liberal caucus
• Steven MacKinnon, government House leader
• Steven Guilbeault, environment and climate change minister
• Jonathan Wilkinson, energy and natural resources minister
• Arif Virani, justice minister
• Bill Blair, defence minister
• Anita Anand, president of the Treasury Board
• Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP
• Jagmeet Singh, NDP leader
• Melissa Lantsman, Conservative deputy leader
• Tim Uppal, Conservative deputy leader
• Andrew Scheer, Conservative House leader
• Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc Québécois leader
• Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative MP and Quebec lieutenant 
• Chris Warkentin, Conservative deputy whip and QP co-ordinator
• Leslyn Lewis, Conservative MP
• Peter Julian, NDP House leader
• Heather McPherson, NDP MP and foreign affairs critic
• Don Davies, NDP MP and health critic
• Charlie Angus, NDP MP and natural resources critic
• Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta
• Doug Ford, premier of Ontario
• François Legault, premier of Quebec
• Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan
• Marc Gold, government representative in the Senate
• Donald Plett, leader of the Senate’s Conservative caucus 
• Raymonde Saint-Germain, facilitator of the Independent Senators Group

Political influencers

• Jenni Byrne, Conservative strategist
• Anaida Poilievre
• Mike Crase and Jeremy Liedtke, Conservative Party ops
• Robert Staley, chair of the Conservative Fund
• Derek Robinson and Paul Taillon, Mash Strategy
• Lucy Watson, NDP national director 
• Nik Nanos, founder of Nanos Research
• Jean-Marc Léger, president and founder of polling firm Léger
• David Coletto, founder, chair and CEO of Abacus Data
• David Cohen, U.S. ambassador to Canada
• Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association
• Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress
• Cindy Woodhouse, Assembly of First Nations national chief

Political staff

• Katie Telford, PMO chief of staff
• Brian Clow, PMO deputy chief of staff 
• Marjorie Michel, PMO deputy chief of staff 
• Rick Theis, PMO acting policy director
• Ben Chin, PMO senior adviser 
• Patrick Travers, PMO senior adviser 
• Max Valiquette, PMO executive director of communications
• Andrew Bevan, chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
• Peter Wilkinson, chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly
• Bud Sambasivam, director of policy to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
• Anne McGrath, principal secretary to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
• Jennifer Howard, chief of staff to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
• Ian Todd, chief of staff to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre
• Rheal Lewis, chief of staff to the Government House Leader
• David Prest, director of parliamentary affairs to Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer
• Jamie Kippen, chief of staff to Environment and Climate Change Minister Steve Guilbeault 
• Elise Wagner, director of policy to International Trade Minister Mary Ng 
• Ian Foucher, chief of staff to Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne 

Public servants

• David Morrison, deputy minister of foreign affairs
• Stephen de Boer, foreign and defence policy adviser to the prime minister
• Kirsten Hillman, ambassador to the U.S.  
• Bob Rae, ambassador to the UN
• Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff
• Marie-Josée Hogue, foreign interference public inquiry commissioner
• John Hannaford, clerk of the Privy Council
• Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council and associate secretary to the cabinet
• Nathalie Drouin, security and national intelligence adviser to the prime minister
• Mollie Johnson, deputy secretary to cabinet (plans and consultations), Privy Council Office
• Chris Forbes, deputy minister of finance 
• Arianne Reza, deputy minister of PSPC
• Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada
• Yves Giroux, parliamentary budget officer
• Paul Thompson, deputy minister of employment and social development
• Harpreet Kochhar, deputy minister at immigration 
• Simon Kennedy, deputy minister of innovation
• Karen Hogan, auditor general
• Vicky Eatrides, CRTC chairperson and CEO
• Shalene Curtis-Micallef, deputy minister of justice
• Kelly Gillis, deputy minister of infrastructure 
• Jacqueline Bogden, chief human resources officer
• Bill Matthews, deputy minister of defence

Media

• Bob Fife and Steven Chase, The Globe and Mail
• Joël-Denis Bellavance, La Presse Ottawa bureau chief
• Will LeRoy, founder of National Newswatch
• Vassy Kapelos, CTV News chief political correspondent
• David Cochrane, host of CBC’s Power & Politics
• “Good Talk” with Peter Mansbridge, Chantal Hébert, and Bruce Anderson
• Luke LeBrun, editor of PressProgress
• Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun columnist