Tommy Desfossés leaves post as EA to Prime Minister Trudeau, Philip Proulx steps into job

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said goodbye to his executive assistant for the last two years, Tommy Desfossés. After nine years working for Mr. Trudeau overall, Mr. Desfossés departed the Hill at the beginning of January and is said to be currently taking some time off. No doubt much-needed after a busy last two years. Philip Proulx has already stepped in to replace Mr. Desfossés as Mr. Trudeau’s new executive assistant. He had been working in the PMO as a special assistant in the office’s senior adviser unit under Mathieu Bouchard since early 2017, and before that was press secretary to Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains. Philip Proulx, pictured with his former boss, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains. The Hill Times file photograph Before coming to Ottawa to work for the new Liberal government in early 2016, Mr. Proulx was press attaché to then-Quebec Liberal minister for culture and communications Hélène David. A former communications coordinator for the Quebec Liberal Party’s youth wing, Mr. Proulx has also previously worked in then-Quebec premier Jean Charest’s office as an assistant adviser on youth issues. That experience could come in handy as Mr. Trudeau is also the minister responsible for Youth Affairs, and for Intergovernmental Affairs. Amongst other past experience, Mr. Proulx has also previously been a project manager at National Public Relations, and a communications assistant to then-Quebec Liberal labour minister David Whissell, as indicated by his LinkedIn profile. As executive assistant to the prime minister, Mr. Proulx can expect to be at the leader’s side during lots of travelling, in Canada and abroad, and to be the proverbial fly on the wall for plenty of high-level meetings. Tommy Desfossés is no longer executive assistant to the Prime Minister. Photograph courtesy of Twitter His predecessor, Mr. Desfossés, first began working for Mr. Trudeau in 2009 as an intern and later part-time assistant in the then rookie MP’s constituency office in Papineau, Que., and later served as a special assistant to Mr. Trudeau as leader of the third party Liberals during the last Parliament. A political science graduate from the University of Sherbrooke, he was on the leader’s tour through the 2015 campaign. Mr. Desfossés caught some international media attention during his tenure as the prime minister’s body man. A picture of him loaded down with gifts for Mr. Trudeau, including, of course, socks, during the PM’s trip to Ireland in July, tweeted out by Independent News political editor Kevin Doyle, went somewhat viral, and, among others, got picked up by In Style magazine, Marie Claire, and Time. Mr. Desfossés pictured bearing gifts in photo tweeted out by Mr. Doyle during the PM's July 2017 trip to Ireland. Photograph courtesy of Twitter “He’s not a full-blown internet sensation yet. But give it time,” read the Time piece from July 2017, which also highlighted some of the online banter between Mr. Desfossés, PMO official photographer Adam Scotti, and Liberal MPs, including a tweet from Quebec Liberal MP Marc Miller of Mr. Desfossés asleep in his suit, box in lap, while seated beside Mr. Trudeau on a plane. The two even look a bit alike, with a January 2017 La Nouvelle story and interview with Mr. Desfossés noting some have asked if he was Mr. Trudeau’s brother. Mr. Desfossés and Mr. Scotti had also been running an Instagram account, @LegoTommy, since the 2015 with shots of their Lego doubles—with Mr. Desfossés’ fittingly toting a messenger bag—first on the campaign trail and later on the road with the PM. As indicated by online travel expense disclosures for Mr. Desfossés, as the PM’s executive assistant since 2015 he’s had the chance to visit Turkey, the Philippines, England, Malta, France, the U.S., Japan, Israel, China, Belgium, Poland, Ukraine, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Liberia, Madagascar, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Vietnam, along with plenty of trips to cities across Canada. The year just passed, 2017, was his most expensive travel year, with a total of $21,122.88 in travel expenses claimed. Fisheries and Oceans Minister LeBlanc hires new regional adviser for the Pacific One in, one out of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc's office. The Hill Times file photograph Fisheries, Oceans, and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Dominic LeBlanc has a new source of regional advice for the Pacific in his ministerial office, following the recent departure of Ashraf Amlani. Ashraf Amlani has moved back to B.C. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn Ms. Amlani marked her last day as a special assistant for the Pacific and Western regional affairs desk on Jan. 5. She’s now joined a Vancouver-based consulting firm, Zark Corporation, with a focus on supporting clients with interests in public health, the environment, and Indigenous relations. She’s also been appointed to serve on the District of North Vancouver’s community services advisory committee, and plans to get involved in the upcoming Vancouver municipal election, set for October 2018. “I hope to increase participation and voter turnout in the 2018 civic election by engaging residents of the North Shore,” said Ms. Amlani in an email to Hill Climbers. Around the same time as her departure for B.C., Mark Knudsen came over from the province to work for Mr. LeBlanc on the Hill as a new policy adviser for the Pacific to the minister. Mr. Knudsen previously spent a number of years working for the former B.C. Liberal government in a number of capacities. He was most recently an assistant to then-B.C. Liberal environment minister Mary Polak, and before that worked for then-agriculture minister Norm Letnick; then-jobs, tourism, and skills training minister Shirley Bond, and for then-aboriginal relations and reconciliation minister John Rustad. A graduate of the University of Victoria, Mr. Knudsen also previously spent time as a communications officer for the B.C. Liberal caucus. Sheldon Gillis is a special assistant for the Atlantic region in Mr. LeBlanc’s office, which is run by chief of staff Vince MacNeil. Alexis McIntyre is director of policy to the minister; Sharon Ashley is director of parliamentary affairs; Kevin Lavigne is director of communications; Laura Gareau is press secretary; Lucie Giroux, Barry Lacombe, and Samuel Yorke are senior special assistant; Mark O’Halloran, Dylan Wooley-Berry, and Caitlin Mullan-Boudreau are special assistants; Joanne Denis is parliamentary affairs analyst; Diane Mathé is assistant to the chief of staff; and Vincent Hughes is assistant to the minister’s parliamentary secretary, Liberal MP Terry Beech. In early December, Mr. LeBlanc made public the fact that he has been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and was soon to being treatment. He has indicated he will continue to serve as both a minister and as the Liberal MP for Beauséjour, N.B. during treatment. Employment Minister Hajdu down one adviser Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu recently bade farewell to staffer Jean-Bruno Villeneuve, who officially marked his exit from her ministerial office on Jan. 5. Mr. Villeneuve first joined the Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour minister’s office in November 2016 under then minister MaryAnn Mihychuk as a director of communications. Ms. Hajdu was shuffled in to replace Ms. Mihychuk, who is no longer a member of the federal cabinet, in January 2017, and while Mr. Villeneuve remained in the office, he subsequently took on the title of communications adviser and special assistant for Quebec. He’s now joined the federal public service as deputy director of media relations for the new Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs department, for which Carolyn Bennett serves as the political minister. Before joining the employment minister’s office, Mr. Villeneuve had been an issues manager and press secretary to then democratic institutions minister Maryam Monsef, starting in February 2016. He’s also previously been an assistant director of media relations at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, amongst other past experience. Other regional advisers in the office are: Tahiya Bakht, special assistant for Ontario; Annie Morrison, special assistant for Atlantic Canada; and Laura Pennell, special assistant for Western and Northern Canada. Matthew Mitschke is chief of staff to Ms. Hajdu. The rest of minister’s political staff team includes: Simon Robertson, director of policy and parliamentary affairs; Leah Van Houten, director of operations; Carlene Variyan, director of communications; Matt Pascuzzo, press secretary; Hersi Hujaleh, senior policy adviser; Kelly Bryant, policy assistant; Emily Harris, communications adviser; Samantha Nault, legislative assistant; Julia Van Drie, special assistant; and Daniel McKenzie, policy adviser and assistant to the minister’s parliamentary secretary, Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner. lryckewaert@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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Hill Climbers

Tommy Desfossés leaves post as EA to Prime Minister Trudeau, Philip Proulx steps into job

Mark Knudsen has joined Fisheries, Oceans, and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office.

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