Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney intends to appoint former Trudeau cabinet minister Marco Mendicino as his chief of staff.
Mendicino, the Liberal member of parliament for Eglinton––Lawrence, served as a cabinet minister in the Trudeau government from 2019 to 2023, notably serving as minister of public safety before he was shuffled out of cabinet following numerous scandals.
Mendicino and his office came under fire for botching the transfer of Paul Bernardo, one of Canada’s most notorious murderers, and allowing him to serve his sentence in a medium-security prison.
Mendicino also told Canadians that the federal government had shut down all of the Chinese police stations operating in Canada, an untrue claim that he walked back later on.
Mendicino was public safety minister when in 2022, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to quash the Freedom Convoy on Parliament Hill, playing a prominent role in publicly justifying the imposition of emergency measures.
Mendicino also served as Trudeau’s immigration minister from 2019 to 2021 during Trudeau’s second term and as a parliamentary secretary during Trudeau’s first term.
Mendicino will become one of the few elected members of parliament to serve in the Prime Minister’s Office in Canadian history.
Reports claim that Carney chose Mendicino as his chief of staff because he had already received a national security clearance, something that takes weeks to obtain, and knows the Liberal caucus well.
Mendicino had been planning leaving federal politics, saying in January that he would not run again and taking aim at the Trudeau government’s foreign policy, specifically it’s handling of the Middle East file.
Much of Trudeau’s core team are reportedly being moved out, including his longtime chief of staff, Katie Telford.
The Conservatives attacked Carney’s appointment of Mendicino as chief of staff, arguing that his selection represents continuity from Trudeau’s ministry to that of Carney.
“In his first move as Liberal Party leader, Mark Carney proves again he is just like Justin,” said Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer.
“Carney names former Trudeau Minister and compulsive liar Marco Mendicino as his Chief of Staff. Marco Mendocino’s rap sheet of lies is as long as Carney’s.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also attacked Carney for allowing gun violence to skyrocket and overhauling Canada’s immigration system for the worse.