01.16.2016 12:45 PM

David MacNaughton

A smart pick.  Got to know the guy a long time ago.  A backroom legend.

Trudeau’s lucky to have him; Leslie too.

6 Comments

  1. JH says:

    Great! Trudeau continues the practice of ignoring the bureaucratic dips with all their perks and privileges and those costly estates some of them live on overseas. This has got to be driving the likes of Paul Heinbecker crazy. Remember all the whining he was doing on the pundit shows.

    • Aongasha says:

      I agree. All the BS cheering aside, Trudeau’s gang knows that if the Silly Servant bunch were quite willing to backstab and work against previous governments, they’ll have no problem doing it to Sunny Ways, if their union bosses tell them to. The idea that Canada has a professional civil service is a joke and has been amply proven false by the PSAC and co, over the last couple of decades.
      I’m sure Butts and his folks will be watching them closely.

  2. Mike says:

    I guess all that sex ed stuff didn’t hurt him after all.

  3. dave says:

    Another from “the old boys club.”

    Ho hum

  4. Jack D says:

    Cue the incessant (and hypocritical) bitching about patronage.

    I think the Liberals deserve commending for this. These are extremely crucial positions, particularly so in the near future and given this governments proactive approach to international relations; so filling them at the earliest opportunity with people you can absolutely trust and have confidence in is important for the Trudeau government.

    On the flip side, I’m starting to lose my patience with the staffing delays facing the Liberals right now. I’m hearing that its not even close to being completed and its starting to show in my discussions with some MPs and key staff. Its understandable that these sorts of things take time, especially since the Liberals are essentially coming from nothing in terms of resources. But I feel like this is starting to become overly drawn out for some inexplicable reason. One MP I spoke to a few days ago speculated that a couple months are still needed to get fully settled in. Lot of people not knowing where the chips are going to fall yet. [End of Rant]

  5. dean sherratt says:

    We all know that the USA is “different” from other countries, given its own long history of patronage appointments to diplomatic posts. But there is always the real number two who does the work while the Ambassador presides. Now I’m not sure where MacNaughton places himself. Previous diplomatic appointments to Washington included “patronage” appointments of non-DFAIT diplomats but they were accomplished politicians in their own right…premiers or senior cabinet ministers in previous governments. This fellow is different…his credentials are almost entirely public/media relations + running campaigns. Now that will still put him above most USA Ambassadors but well below our typical picks for Washington.

    I hope this staff are strong and will direct him to defending Canada’s interests, rather than to the government’s media or political interests. There is a distinction.

    In a year’s time, if someone asks for our position on the Pembina road and he has no clue or the Detroit Bridge then he will have failed by default representing our country.

    But he will have the most important consideration of the political appointment, the endorsement of the government and that he has access to the highest level of the Trudeau Administration. I’ll assume that for the moment. it better be than the USA Administration will treaty him as a nobody. But that crucial qualification I suspect is certain.

    My first impression is that we could have done better.

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