Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)
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In Canada, the Office of the Prime Minister is one of the most powerful parts of the government. It is made up of the Prime Minister and his top political staff. The offices of the Prime Minister's staffers is in the Langevin Block in Ottawa. The Prime Minister's actual office where he or she do their work is at the Centre Block Parliament Building.
The Office of the Prime Minister, or Prime Minister's Office (PMO) advises the Prime Minister. The PMO is wholly political with staffers appointed by the Prime Minister. All of what takes place in the PMO is behind closed doors and the public rarely has any idea who the main figures are.
One of its most important role is in government appointments. The heads of Crown Corporations and Senators are all made by Cabinet, with most of the work behind the decision being made by the PMO. The PMO also includes speechwriters, strategists, and public relations staffers, who shape the Prime Minister's and government's message. It is also the PMO's job to keep the Prime Minister informed about events that take place in the government and the country. It acts as a link between the political party organization and the government.
The provinces of Canada all have similar organizations.
History
The Office of the Prime Minister was a fairly weak and secondary group before Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister. Under Trudeau, it replaced much of what the Privy Council Office once did. Trudeau's PMO became central to his government and many of his economic and constitutional initiatives were launched primarily with the aid and advice of the PMO.Brian Mulroney also had a strong PMO where he could have advice that was independent from what he considered the Liberal-leaning civil service and the fractious Tory party.
Jean Chrétien at first tried to shrink the PMO, relying more on his cabinet, but as his time in government went on he came to rely more and more on the PMO. Chrétien especially relied on his Chief of Staff and longtime friend Jean Pelletier, who ran the office from 1993 to 2001.
Prime Minister Paul Martin was said to have relied on the PMO, where he could be sure the members were loyal to him and not to the ousted Chrétien.
Composition
The PMO is presided over by the Chief of Staff. The current Chief of Staff is Ian Brodie. The Principal Secretary has also been a significant figure in the PMO and was the senior position until the creation of the Chief of Staff position. The current PMO has no Principal Secretary.
- Chief of Staff: Ian Brodie
- * Deputy Chief of Staff: Patrick Muttart
- * Deputy Chief of Staff: Rossanna Whissell
- * Parliamentary Affairs and Appointments:
- :* Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Appointments: Dave Penner
- * Manager of Policy: Mark Cameron
- * Communications and Correspondence:
- :* Director of Communications: Sandra Buckler
- :* Press Secretary: Carolyn Stewart-Olsen
- :* Deputy Press Secretary: Dimitri Soudas
- :* Press Officers: Ray Sparrow, Jennifer Chiu and Colleen Cameron
External links
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