A ‘deep intellect and relentless work ethic’: Nigel Wright, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, dead at 62

Friends and colleagues described Wright as a principled, intelligent, polite, and deeply religious man — one who they felt was wrongly tainted as a result of the senate spending scandal that unfolded more than a decade ago.

Even the Mounties who investigated believed Wright had not acted with any criminal or ill intent, but was driven by a desire to right what he saw as a moral wrong.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was picked by Harper to lead the Bank of Canada and whose term at the Bank of England coincided with Wright’s return to Onex Corporation’s London office, said in a statement sent to the Star that “the pinnacle of Nigel’s long career in public life was as chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, where Nigel served Canadians with the same deep intellect and relentless work ethic that he demonstrated through many decades in the private sector. Throughout his career, Nigel contributed to a better and more prosperous future for Canadians.

“I was privileged to know Nigel, benefitted often from his counsel, and have long been inspired by his dedication to our country, his kindness to his friends, and his faith in our common future.”

But the story of Wright’s effort to pay back the money Duffy owed ended in a reputational blow to a man whose political antenna failed to register how the public or courts might perceive it. Wright was never charged, but he took the political fall for Harper.

Duffy had claimed travel and living expenses as a Prince Edward Island senator when he mainly lived in Ottawa. He was acquitted on fraud and breach of trust charges.

Harper who first stood by Wright until the political fires grew too hot later claimed he had “dismissed” Wright, to the chagrin of Wright’s supporters.

On Tuesday, Harper said he and his wife were “heartbroken” at Wright’s death.

“A unique and deeply accomplished person, Nigel combined intellectual acumen with incredible capacity for work,” Harper wrote on X. He said Wright “loved his country and believed in the value of public service … and was also a man of faith who cared about his fellow citizens and generously supported a range of philanthropic causes throughout his life.”

A lawyer, investment whiz and disciplined runner who regularly attended church, Wright was a longtime supporter of Campfire Circle, formerly Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer. He volunteered at homeless shelters before, during and after his time in the top political office in Canada. In 2021, while in London, he co-founded Canadian Conservatives Abroad to encourage Canadians to exercise their vote in elections back home.

Born in 1963 in Hamilton, raised in Burlington by his adoptive parents, Wright attended the University of Toronto and Harvard law schools, rallied youth votes against Joe Clark in the 1981 federal leadership review, and for Brian Mulroney when he sought to become party leader. Wright later worked as a speechwriter for Mulroney, and as assistant to Charles McMillan, Mulroney’s senior policy adviser. After passing the bar, he worked at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. He was part of a group that helped build the Manning Centre, and helped found and fundraise for the Conservative Fund of Canada.

Onex chair Gerry Schwartz recruited him in 1997, and on Tuesday described him as “a remarkably astute investor, an outstanding leader and an even more exceptional individual” who was “humble and selfless” and whose legacy will carry on through the “many enterprises, foundations, charities and individuals who benefited from his kindness and generosity.”

James Moore, Harper’s former heritage minister, remembered long talks with Wright when they wrestled with the “complicated question about where Canada should land on intellectual property law to align ourselves with both the United States and Europe while maintaining a unique Canadian perspective.”

Moore said they sought to strike the right balance between the interests of creators, consumers and Canada’s international legal obligations, and Wright “got deep into the weeds on substantive and complicated things that may not have had a huge political upside but had a big political downside if we got them wrong,” said Moore.

Moore said it is unfair that Wright’s reputation took a hit for what Duffy did.

“Nigel Wright is a good man who tried to make the taxpayers whole and protected from what was seen to be irresponsible spending by a senator. And Nigel Wright was trying to do the honorable, decent, good, correct thing so that we could focus back on policy. And everybody who was in office at the time knew that was what was happening and understood what Nigel’s perspective was.”

Jason Kenney, who served in Harper’s cabinet and later became Alberta premier, wrote on X that Wright was “one of the kindest, most decent and generous people I have ever known. A person of unimpeachable integrity and honour. A brilliant man who excelled in business, and had a heart for public service. He was a true Canadian patriot.

“But most importantly, he was man of deep faith. His Christian commitment was not an abstraction. I cannot think of anyone with his level of commercial and financial success who would regularly spend evenings and weekends helping the less fortunate, volunteering in soup kitchens and homeless shelters. He was modest and private, so I suspect no one fully realizes the breadth of his philanthropic and charitable commitments.”

Rick Anderson, a former Conservative strategist, had seen Wright frequently over the past few years while visiting London, and missed him this past week as Wright was travelling out of town. Wright “didn’t really understand how Duffy had got himself into that kind of difficulty, because Nigel himself was commuting back and forth between Toronto during the time he was Harper’s chief of staff and not billing anybody for those expenses. He just didn’t think it was appropriate,” said Anderson.

Wright was one of Harper’s rare confidantes, a peer who was “phenomenally bright,” and in touch with “a lot of the different main schools of public policy thought,” said Anderson. “They read a lot of the same kind of stuff and they didn’t necessarily have the same conclusions about it and that’s what made that relationship so valuable to Harper.”

“His departure left a hole that was never really completely filled.”

Andrew MacDougall, a Harper communications director, in a reply to the Star wrote, “Nigel was everything you would want a public servant to be: smart, dedicated,” and driven by a fierce work ethic. “But he was an even better person. Kind, generous, and selfless to a fault. And that continued outside of politics. He would travel six days a week but still volunteer at his local church here in London.”

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, described Wright as “a principled and honourable man who was dedicated to Canada and to public service, and who made a lasting contribution to our country. His public service was marked with kindness, humility, and a deep sense of duty, earning the respect of those who worked alongside him.”

In a statement mourning his sudden passing, Onex did not state the cause of death.