Hill Movers: New transport, innovation ministers fill out staff rosters – iPolitics
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has been solidifying his new team after he took over the portfolio in January.
Angad Dhillon will soon be joining Alghabra’s office as director of operations, according to his press secretary, Allison St-Jean.
Since October 2018, Dhillon has been serving as Ontario regional adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office, and has also worked as a policy adviser to then-Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly.
Before his move to PMO, he did a stint at the Liberal Research Bureau as director of outreach.
Another new addition to Alghabra’s ministerial staffing lineup, as per St-Jean: Shaza Ahmed, who previously worked as his legislative assistant when Alghabra was an MP, will now serve as executive assistant to both the minister and his chief of staff.
Meanwhile, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne is also currently in the process of building his team after being shuffled out of the foreign affairs portfolio in January.
François Massicotte has followed the minister to his new office, where Massicotte will serve as director of operations, a position to which he was promoted in January after a stint as executive operations manager and senior special adviser.
Also making the move with the minister: Louis Hamann, who will continue to act as his communications director, a job he’s held since February 2020. Hamann also worked as a director at the Quebec government’s Washington, D.C office.
Outgoing communications director Michael Power, who has held the post since July 2020, will continue to support Champagne over the next few weeks, according to his press secretary, John Power.
PMO policy and cabinet executive director Marci Surkes, celebrated 14 years on Parliament Hill this week. Surkes began her career as a legislative assistant for Derek Lee, then-MP for the riding of Scarborough-Rouge River, took to Twitter to mark the milestone.
“14 years ago today, I began my adventures in Parliament as a legislative assistant,” she tweeted.
“All these moons later, [through] ups and downs, I’ve been privileged to work alongside smart, committed staffers and MPs from all parties. [Thanks] to the many colleagues I’ve learned from along the way.”
Surkes was Trudeau’s senior manager for policy, research and planning from June 2013 to December 2015, and also worked as chief of staff to then-Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
Another staffer heading back to the Hill after a brief hiatus in the private sector: Jake Enwright, who started a new gig this week handling research and issues management for the Conservatives. Since May 2019, he had worked for National Public Affairs, and he also served briefly as vice- president of corporate affairs for Huawei Technologies after leaving the office of then-CPC leader Andrew Scheer in 2018.