The Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office is one of the most senior roles in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, reporting directly to the prime minister and his or her chief of staff. The person is responsible for selling the government's agenda to the media and public.
The portfolio thus encompasses everything from speech writing, communications packages, coordinating announcements, creating media appearances for the Prime Minister, crafting communications responses, liaising with the media, coordinating with ministers' and Members of Parliament's offices, and responding to government controversies.
The position's grueling hours are close only to the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and Director of Policy.[1]
Since 2006 only half of the directors have lasted more than one year, with the average in the position being just 395 days, or roughly 13 months. The longest serving director is Kate Purchase, who served as Justin Trudeau’s first communications director from October 2015 to December 2019. The shortest duration was just 32 days with William Stairs, who left shortly after Prime Minister Stephen Harper was elected with a minority government.
| Name | Prime Minister | Dates Served | Reason for Leaving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-1999 | Resigned | ||
| 1999-2002 | Resigned following controversy | ||
| 2002-2003 | Appointed to the Senate of Canada | ||
| 2003-2005 | Appointed to a diplomatic position | ||
| 2005-2006 | Party defeated in 2006 election | ||
| January – February 2006 | Unknown | ||
| February 2006 – June 27, 2008 | Cancer treatment | ||
| July 7, 2008 – July 28, 2009 | Job with Sun News Network | ||
| August 2009 – March 2010[2] | To run for Parliament | ||
| March 2010 – September 5, 2011[3] | Hired by the Canadian Olympic Committee | ||
| October 2011 – April 2012[4] | Job stress | ||
| Andrew MacDougall | April 2012 – September 2, 2013[5] | Job in London, England | |
| September 12, 2013 - February 13, 2015[6] | Unknown | ||
| Rob Nicol | February 14, 2015 - October 18, 2015 | party defeated in 2015 election | |
| Kate Purchase | October 2015 – December 2019[7] | Job with Microsoft | |
| Cameron Ahmad | January 2020 – June 2023[8] | Unknown | |
| Vanessa Hage-Moussa | June 2023 - current[9] | Incumbent |