Hill Climbers
Trade Minister Sidhu confirms roster of directors
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu has filled a slate of director-level roles in his office, with directors of communications, stakeholder relations, parliamentary affairs, and operations now confirmed.
As previously reported by Hill Climbers, Kevin Lemkay is chief of staff to Sidhu, while Sarah Manney is director of policy, and Spencer Knight is the minister’s driver.
Leading parliamentary affairs for the first-time minister is Frank Tersigni, who most recently did the same for then-Treasury Board president Ginette Petitpas Taylor. A former assistant to then-Ontario Liberal MPP Liz Sandals—both as the MPP for Guelph, Ont., and later as minister of education—Tersigni got his start on Parliament Hill as a legislative assistant to Waterloo, Ont., Liberal MP Bardish Chagger in early 2016. He stepped away from the Hill for about a year between 2017 and 2018, during which time he tackled events and communications for Polytechnics Canada before returning as an assistant to then-Guelph, Ont., Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield.
Tersigni landed his first ministerial level job in early 2021 when he was hired as an Ontario regional adviser to then-seniors minister Deb Schulte. He’s since also been a senior Ontario adviser to then-Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario minister Helena Jaczek, senior issues manager to Jaczek as then-public services and procurement minister, senior special assistant for parliamentary affairs to then-trade minister Mary Ng, and director of parliamentary affairs to Petitpas Taylor as then-veterans minister.
Tapped to oversee stakeholder relations work for Sidhu is Neeraj Bhalla.
Bhalla previously spent more than five-and-a-half years—between early 2016 and the fall of 2021—working in then-Mississauga-Malton, Ont., Liberal MP Navdeep Bains’ constituency office, during Bains’ time as then-innovation, science, and industry minister. Since 2021, he’s been a principal with Bhalla Consulting, according to his LinkedIn profile. Bhalla also has roughly 17 years working for the BMO Financial Group, last as implementation manager for small business banking.
In charge of operations for Sidhu is Meghan Pritchard, who is a carryover from former trade minister Ng’s team.
Pritchard joined Ng’s trade office at the start of 2020 as a senior special assistant for operations, and in 2023, she was promoted to director of planning and tour to the minister—her most recent title. A former international election observer with CANADEM for the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary and presidential elections, Pritchard is also a former senior consultant with Burrard Strategy in Vancouver, and a former senior operations manager for the British Columbia Liberal Party, among other past roles.
Finally, Huzaif Qaisar is director of communications to Sidhu. Qaisar was previously press secretary to Ng, and first joined the trade office as a special assistant for communications in April 2023. Before then, he’d been an assistant to Prince Edward Island Liberal MP Robert Morrissey.
Qaisar is also a former president of the Ontario Young Liberals, a past research and communications co-ordinator with the Canadian Defence and Security Network, and a former research and communications assistant with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, among other things.
Solomon names FedDev Ontario policy director
Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon, who is also the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, has made progress in filling out his staff team, including hiring Melissa George to lead policy work related to the regional development agency.
George was previously director of labour relations to the Treasury Board president, starting in July 2024 under then-minister Anita Anand—and continuing through Petitpas Taylor’s subsequent turn in the role—after roughly eight months as a senior consultant with Navigator in Toronto.
A former early resolution officer with the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario and a past associate business ethics consultant with Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, George got her start in federal politics in 2020 when she was hired as a human resources adviser in then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office. At the start of 2022, George left the PMO to become a policy adviser to Anand as then-defence minister, later adding “senior” to her title.
Also so far hired to focus on the FedDev Ontario file are Hamid Mohamed and Tanveer Tur, who both hold the title of senior special assistant for operations and stakeholder engagement.
Mohamed is a former executive assistant and operations assistant in now-Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Valdez’s office as then-small business minister, and, according to his LinkedIn profile, was field manager for Solomon’s successful 2025 campaign to represent Toronto Centre, Ont. Mohamed is also a former assistant to then-Toronto Liberal MP Arif Virani, and previously worked on Virani’s successful 2021 and 2019 re-election campaigns, amongst other past experience.
Tur was previously an operations adviser to then-democratic institutions and FedDev Ontario minister Ruby Sahota, and has been working for the minister responsible for the economic development agency file since the summer of 2022, beginning as executive assistant to then-minister Jaczek. She was later promoted to southern Ontario regional affairs adviser to then-FedDev Ontario minister Filomena Tassi. Tur is also an ex-aide to Jaczek as the MP for Markham–Stouffville, Ont., and to Willowdale, Ont., Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi.
Beyond the specific FedDev Ontario team, Meron Cheway has been hired as director of operations to Solomon. Cheway previously worked for then-women and gender equality and youth minister Marci Ien, having first been hired to Ien’s team in late 2022 as a regional adviser for the West and North. He was promoted to add “senior” to his title in 2024, and near the start of this year was promoted again to director of operations to Ien, who did not seek re-election this past April.
Cheway is also a former special assistant for policy to then-housing, diversity, and inclusion minister Ahmed Hussen. Along with past campaign experience, Cheway has also worked as a marketing co-ordinator with Supply Chain Canada’s Manitoba Institute, and is a former Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee fellow, among other things.
Rounding out the list of confirmed staff so far is Benjamin Ebadi, who fills the role of Prairies, West, and North regional adviser to Solomon.
Ebadi is a former policy and stakeholder relations adviser to Sahota as then-democratic institutions and FedDev Ontario minister, having joined her team at the beginning of this year. Before then, he’d been a special assistant for operations to then-northern affairs minister Dan Vandal, whose team Ebadi first joined as a 2024 summer intern. Ebadi is a former assistant to then-Manitoba Liberal MP Jim Carr, and a former summer intern with the Liberal research bureau.
As reported by Hill Climbers, Anson Duran is chief of staff to Solomon.
Stay tuned for more updates on Solomon’s office in the near future.
Rob Jamieson to lead Sec. of State Sahota’s shop
Sahota, who was sworn in as secretary of state for combatting crime on May 13, has scooped up Rob Jamieson to lead her office.
Jamieson had previously been working for the federal public safety minister since early 2022, beginning as a senior adviser to then-minister Marco Mendicino. Jamieson continued after now-Canada-United States Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc took over as then-public safety, intergovernmental affairs, and democratic institutions minister, and by late 2024 Jamieson was leading policy related to the democratic institutions file for LeBlanc. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jamieson stepped up as chief of staff to now-Defence Minister David McGuinty during McGuinty’s brief turn as public safety and emergency preparedness minister from March to May of this year.
A former Liberal candidate and former federal party staffer, Jamieson began working for the former Trudeau government in the fall of 2016 as chief of staff to then-democratic institutions minister Maryam Monsef, continuing in the role after Liberal MP Karina Gould took over as minister in 2017. In early 2020, Jamieson exited to join then-government House leader Pablo Rodriguez’s office as a senior adviser, and worked there for roughly two years overall.
Also so far confirmed in Sahota’s shop is senior special assistant Cole Walsh.
Walsh previously worked in Sahota’s office as the MP for Brampton North, Ont., and earlier this year, was hired as a communications adviser in her office as then-democratic institutions and FedDev Ontario minister. Walsh has also previously worked for then-Ontario Liberal MP Vance Badawey, and for an Ontario MPP.
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