As his new government enters its fifth week, Prime Minister Mark Carney continued to build out his inner circle Sunday, naming diplomat and lawyer Marc-André Blanchard as his chief of staff starting in July.
In a statement posted to the social media platform X, Carney called Blanchard “one of Canada’s most accomplished builders, legal experts, executives, public servants, and diplomats.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the prime minister’s new top aide.
What is Blanchard’s educational and professional background?
Much like the prime minister he will serve, Blanchard graduated from some of the world’s most elite universities; he holds degrees from the London School of Economics, Université de Montréal and Columbia University.
A lawyer by trade, Blanchard, 59, spent six years as the chair and CEO of McCarthy Tétrault, a business law firm based in Toronto. He most recently served as the executive vice-president for CDPQ Global, a Quebec-based investment firm.
He is still a member of the Quebec bar, according to the body’s directory, where his area of law is listed as “international.”
Does he have experience in government?
Yes, Blanchard served as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2016 to 2020. The announcement of his ascension to the post received little fanfare at the time, seeing as it was made the same day as David MacNaughton’s appointment to be Canada’s ambassador to the United States.
The UN post has a history of being held by prominent Canadian political figures; former Ontario premier Bob Rae succeeded Blanchard in the job, and Stephen Lewis and longtime Jean Chrétien cabinet minister Allan Rock have also represented Canada at the UN.
In addition, Blanchard sat on Canada’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Council alongside one-time opposition leader Rona Ambrose and Stephen Harper-era cabinet minister James Moore, among others.
How are other public officials and politicians reacting to the news?
Lisa Raitt, a three-term Conservative MP who once served as Canada’s labour minister, said on X that she is a “BIG fan of this appointment,” thanking Blanchard for “coming back once again to serve Canada.” Ambrose, likewise, called the appointment an “excellent choice.”
Meanwhile, former Liberal MP and transport minister Omar Alghabra called it a “well-deserved appointment,” while longtime Liberal party fixture Penny Collenette said that Blanchard and Carney form “a powerful duo” that puts Canada “in supreme hands.”
Who else was considered for the role?
The Star previously reported that former Trudeau senior adviser Mathieu Bouchard, who also served as chief of staff to the heritage minister, was in conversations for the position.
The Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau aide and adviser Gerald Butts declined to take the job after being approached.
Who are other notable chiefs of staff?
Though perhaps not as glamorous and recognizable as the White House chief of staff in the U.S., a number of notable names have served in the position, including now-Senator Percy Downe and longtime Quebec City mayor Jean Pelletier.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, for instance, was seen as one of the most important figures in the Liberal government. In describing her influence on the government’s strategy and operations, the Star’s Susan Delacourt observed in 2023 that no chief of staff had travelled with a prime minister as much as she had during the 10 years she spent in the role.
Carney’s outgoing chief of staff, Marco Mendicino, served three terms in the House of Commons representing Eglinton-Lawrence and had two different cabinet appointments in the Trudeau government.
The Star recently reported that Mendicino is considering a run for mayor of Toronto in next year’s mayoral election.
With files from The Canadian Press.
