Nigel Wright, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, took a leave of absence from Onex to join Mr. Harper’s team early in 2011 and became a key player in the Conservative government.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Nigel Wright, a long-time Onex executive and former chief of staff to Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, has died.
Onex Corp. announced his death in a statement Tuesday. He was 62.
“Nigel was a remarkably astute investor, an outstanding leader and an even more exceptional individual,” Onex chairman Gerry Schwartz said in the statement.
“His professional and personal achievements may seem at odds with a man who was so humble and selfless with his time and resources.”
The company did not provide the cause of death. Friends said Mr. Wright died in his sleep overnight on Monday.
Mr. Wright was born in Hamilton, and in parallel with his studies and eventual professional career, he was active in conservative politics. He took a break from law school to work for a time in Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney’s office.
After law school, he joined Toronto-based Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, one of the country’s top corporate law firms. In 1997, he left to join Onex, a company that pioneered private-equity investing.
In 2010, then-prime-minister Stephen Harper asked him to take a leave from the private sector and join his office. Mr. Wright began work as Mr. Harper’s chief of staff in January, 2011.
“For me, really all my life, I would say, public policy has been a passion of mine,” he told a House of Commons committee in 2010, prior to starting the job.
Mr. Wright played a key role as the Harper government struggled to find solid fiscal footing in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
But he left Mr. Harper’s PMO in 2013 after revelations that he cut a personal cheque to Mike Duffy, then a Conservative senator, who at the time was being accused of improperly using government funds to pay his personal expenses. Mr. Wright’s money was used to pay the government back.
Mr. Wright would later say it was a decision he would “live to regret.”
Mr. Harper said he was unaware of the payment. He initially stood by Mr. Wright, but the bailout inflamed the continuing Senate expenses scandal, and Mr. Wright ultimately left his office.
In a statement posted to social media, Mr. Harper said he was shocked to learn of Mr. Wright’s sudden death, calling him a truly special person.
“Nigel loved his country and believed in the value of public service, having twice served in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, including as my Chief of Staff,” he wrote.
“He was also a man of faith who cared about his fellow citizens and generously supported a range of philanthropic causes throughout his life.’
In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “inspired by [Mr. Wright’s] dedication to our country, his kindness to his friends, and his faith in our common future.”
“Throughout his career, Nigel contributed to a better and more prosperous future for Canadians,” Carney added.
After leaving his role in the PMO, Mr. Wright returned to Onex, moving to Britain to join the firm’s operations there.
Onex chief executive officer Bobby Le Blanc called Mr. Wright a consummate gentleman who set the standard for professionalism.
“Over nearly three decades with Onex, he was committed to its values, its culture, and most of all its people, who regarded him with deep admiration and affection,” Mr. Le Blanc said in a statement.
Mr. Wright oversaw some of the country’s largest leveraged buyouts, including Onex’s $1.3-billion purchase of Cineplex Inc. in 2001. He worked with lenders and company executives to build businesses largely funded with debt.
“Nigel was a very special person and he was a great supporter,” said Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob, who built the country’s dominant theatre chain. “I’m pretty shaken up by his loss.”
Bay Street executives who worked with Mr. Wright paid tribute to his business skills and dedication to public service.
“Nigel was the best of the best, no one worked harder or gave more of themselves to the community and those in need,” said Dan Nowlan, vice-chair of National Bank of Canada. Mr. Nowlan served as chief of staff to federal finance minister Jim Flaherty when Mr. Wright worked in government.
“He was a thoroughly decent person, the business world and the world of politics are less kind today than they were yesterday,” Mr. Nowlan said.
Mr. Wright was an avid runner, known for his predawn route through downtown Ottawa during his time with Mr. Harper’s office. He was also active in numerous charities.
Dave Forestell, a vice-president at TC Energy Corp. who worked with Mr. Wright in Mr. Harper’s office, said Mr. Wright spent his first vacation as a working lawyer volunteering as a counsellor at a camp for children with cancer.
The pair met recently in London, where Mr. Wright took him for coffee at Redemption Roasters, a chain of cafés that trains and employs people recently released from incarceration.
“The coffee and conversation was wonderful and, as all things with Nigel, infused with purpose, kindness and grace,” Mr. Forestell told The Globe and Mail.
Mr. Wright was a graduate of Harvard Law School, the University of Toronto Law School and Trinity College at U of T. He leaves his mother, Maureen, two sisters and their families.