An exodus of Liberal chiefs of staff is underway in the wake of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh ending his supply-and-confidence pact with the party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plummeting popularity.
Five of Trudeau’s 38 ministerial chiefs of staff have abandoned the party in rapid succession, following in the footsteps of several others who have already gone.
Six anonymous Liberal sources told the Globe and Mail that top advisers in departments such as Mental Health and Addictions, Global Affairs, Heritage, National Revenue, and Environment have exited their roles.
According to the sources, several staffers had already been planning to leave for months or even longer.
Peter Wilkinson, chief of staff for Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is stepping away after less than two years on the job and senior staffer Jamie Kippen already left his role as chief of staff to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Additionally, chief of staff Jude Welch for Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, has moved on and Frédérique Tsai-Klassen, top adviser to Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau is leaving.
Finally, Sarah Welch, chief of staff for Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Ya’ara Saks is stepping down.
According to sources, the bulk of senior staff who have left don’t have another job waiting for them, however, they are entitled to severance pay.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined True North’s request for comment.
The departure of the five chiefs of staff comes on the heels of the Liberals’ top staffer and national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst announcing his resignation last week.
Despite being with the party since 2015, Broadhurst allegedly told the prime minister that he didn’t think he could win the next election and that Trudeau should acquire a new campaign director who did think a fourth term was possible.
According to one source within the Liberal party, Broadhurst also told Trudeau that he no longer had the fight in him to continue.
The latest exodus of senior staffers is in addition to Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announcing his resignation in July, joining 16 other Liberal MPs to declare that they won’t be running for re-election.
There are also rumours that Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez may be stepping down as well with reports that he’s being courted for a Quebec Liberal leadership bid.
Some positions have already been filled, including Alexandre Boulé, who is now the acting chief for Joly and Marianne Dandurand, who is replacing Tsai-Klassen as chief at National Revenue.
However, Global Affairs has yet to announce a permanent replacement, as well as the chief of staff to the Mental Health and Addictions minister.