Braeden Caley, deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney, arrives on Parliament Hill before a meeting of the federal cabinet in Ottawa in June.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
A staff shuffle is under way in the highest ranks of the Prime Minister’s Office after Mark Carney appointed his chief strategist to the Senate and a key staffer decided to step down.
Braeden Caley, one of Mr. Carney’s deputy chiefs of staff, told his colleagues on Sunday that he has left the PMO to consider running for the Liberal nomination in the riding of North Vancouver–Capilano, which was left vacant by the prior Liberal MP’s appointment to a diplomatic post.
He thanked them and the Prime Minister and said he hoped to be with them again soon.
“Service is the quiet architecture beneath everything a strong country manages to become,” he wrote in a letter announcing his resignation that was obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Carney to appoint senior Liberal strategist to the Senate
“In an hour when Canada’s sovereignty and character have been tested as rarely before, the decision to serve – any of us, in any role – is a small act of faith that this country is worth the sacrifice. It is, always has been, and always will be.”
The Globe has previously reported that Mr. Caley was considering a run.
His formal departure follows Mr. Carney’s decision to appoint Tom Pitfield, his principal secretary, as one of four new senators named last week.
The twin vacancies allow for a rejig of the PMO as the Carney Liberals move into their second full year in government, facing mounting pressure to deliver on major promises, including securing a new trade deal with the United States and ramping up natural resources’ development.
The two most powerful people by Mr. Carney’s side – chief of staff Marc-André Blanchard and Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia – are playing key roles in both those files and remain in their jobs.
The third-closest to the Prime Minister, until last week, was Mr. Pitfield as principal secretary, a role that focuses on political strategy.
The choice of who will replace Mr. Pitfield is not confirmed. The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on that or any other staffing changes.
But three sources told The Globe that the changes include the elevation of Tim Krupa, formerly Mr. Carney’s director of policy, to the position of deputy chief of staff and chief economist.
The Globe is not naming the sources as they were not authorized to disclose internal staffing matters.
Mr. Krupa is known as one of Mr. Carney’s closest advisers. He also worked in policy for the Trudeau Liberals and at the investment firm Goldman Sachs. Mr. Carney held various positions at the firm for more than 15 years prior to entering public life.
Mr. Krupa is being replaced as director of policy by Shaili Patel, who is currently the deputy director.
The sources said Jennifer McIntyre will also become a deputy chief of staff, with a focus on international affairs. She was most recently an assistant deputy minister for international affairs and crisis response at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Ms. McIntyre worked in the PMO under then-prime-minister Jean Chrétien before shifting over to the foreign affairs department.
Andrée-Lyne Hallé remains at the PMO as another deputy chief.
Mr. Carney will need to call at least seven by-elections in the coming months to fill current and upcoming vacancies in the House of Commons.
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In June, he told reporters he does expect to call them all at the same time and will take into account factors such as the coming Quebec provincial election campaign.
Among the vacancies is the riding Mr. Caley is eyeing: North Vancouver-Capilano.
Jonathan Wilkinson had been the MP for the riding, previously known as North Vancouver, since 2015, though the seat has also been held by the Progressive Conservatives, Reform and the Canadian Alliance.
Mr. Wilkinson was named Canada’s ambassador to the European Union earlier this year.
He won nearly 60 per cent of the vote in last year’s election, with the Conservatives in second. They will again field lawyer Stephen Curran as their candidate.
Mr. Caley has been a fixture in B.C. politics.
He served as a press secretary and director of policy and communications to Gregor Robertson when he was mayor of Vancouver. Mr. Robertson is now the federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister.
Mr. Caley has also held senior roles with the federal Liberals, including on the 2025 election campaign