Poilievre deputy chief of staff departing for private-sector job

Aaron Wudrick informed colleagues in a note Thursday that he is leaving for a private-sector job and to spend more time with his family. His last day will be near the end of November.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve our leader and this team for the last 2.5 years, first as director of policy and then as deputy chief of staff,” he wrote in a note obtained by the Star. 

“I want to thank all of you for your cooperation and hard work in our shared mission to make Pierre Poilievre our next prime minister leading a Conservative government, and remain fully confident that this goal remains achievable in the next election.” 

Wudrick’s departure is the latest from Poilievre’s office. Longtime chief of staff Ian Todd retired earlier this year after taking on the role following Poilievre’s leadership victory in 2022.

Katy Merrifield, who recently steered the B.C. Conservatives to victory in that province’s recent election, departed Poilievre’s office earlier this year after joining his team as director of communications following the 2025 election. 

Steve Outhouse, a well-known Conservative campaign manager, remains in Poilievre’s office and is expected to lead the party’s next election campaign.

This latest staffing departure comes as questions swirl about Poilievre’s leadership ahead of a byelection in Brantford-Brant South, a seat the Conservatives have held for the past 18 years but that is now considered competitive. Recent public-opinion polls suggest the Liberals are leading in ridings across Ontario, including many held by Conservatives.

It was almost exactly a year ago that Poilievre lost the first of what would become four MPs to the Liberals. Nova Scotia’s Chris d’Entremont was the first to cross the floor, in a move that stunned both Conservatives and Liberals, as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government presented its first federal budget.