Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announces new senior public service shuffle

By on 06/05/2016 | Updated on 25/09/2020
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

More changes among Canada’s senior civil servants have been announced by prime minister Justin Trudeau.

One move which took effect yesterday involves Janine Sherman, who was promoted from assistant secretary to the Cabinet at the Privy Council Office (PCO), responsible for senior personnel, has been promoted to deputy secretary responsible for senior personnel and public service renewal – a role previously held by Coleen Volk.

Volk was moved to Environment and Climate Change in April to become associate deputy minister. But, she has this week been hired by the Alberta government to become deputy minister of Alberta Energy, leaving an empty senior post in a key department.

Sherman has held various jobs at the PCO – effectively the prime minister’s department – since 2010, following a ten-year tenure at the Canada School of Public Service.

She first joined the public service in 1986, when she was hired by the Department of Finance where she spent seven years in a range of roles.

Trudeau announced the appointment of Daniel Jean as his new national security advisor.

Jean, who is currently deputy minister of foreign affairs, will take up the post on 16 May.

His public service career involves 15 years at Citizenship and Immigration Canada – the government department responsible for dealing with immigration, refugees, and citizenship; nine years at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, which manages Canada’s diplomatic and consular relations; and two years at the PCO.

His post at the foreign affairs department will be filled by Ian Shugart, currently deputy minister of employment and social development, who, in turn, will be replaced by Louise Levonian, currently senior associate deputy minister of employment and social development and chief operating officer for Service Canada.

The Trudeau government has been moving around its top ranks in six shuffles of senior public servants since January, many of which were triggered by retirements of deputy ministers leaving as part of the final wave of baby boomers exiting the public service.

More resignations are expected this summer.

Other senior posts the government still has to fill from previous moves include two associate deputy ministers — at Natural Resources and the Economic Agency of Canada for the regions of Quebec.

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See also:

Justin Trudeau announces senior appointment at Department for Indigenous Affairs

Coleen Volk, Government of Canada: Exclusive Interview

Government of Canada pledges creation of new central ‘results and delivery unit’

Janice Charette praises public servants’ ‘professionalism and dedication’

John Forster, Chief of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canada: Exclusive Interview

Richard Fadden Canada’s top national security adviser retires from public service

Creating a truly ‘civil’ service

Looking after number one: prioritisation in government

Managing the EU Migration Crisis

About Winnie Agbonlahor

Winnie is news editor of Global Government Forum. She previously reported for Civil Service World - the trade magazine for senior UK government officials. Originally from Germany, Winnie first came to the UK in 2006 to study a BA in Journalism & Russian at the University of Sheffield. She is bilingual in English and German, and, after spending an academic year abroad in Russia and reporting for the Moscow Times, Winnie also speaks Russian fluently.

One Comment

  1. NONE says:

    well, too many shuffles…how about some analytics on succession planning and retirement projections!

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