Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains holds a copy of the long-form census on Parliament Hill on Thursday.Chris Wattie/Reuters
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains has a new chief of staff after a top commercial litigator and trial lawyer from McCarthy Tétrault joined his office.
McCarthy litigation partner Elder Marques, previously the law clerk to Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, started on Monday as Mr. Bains' chief of staff. As the minister's top adviser, Mr. Marques will be overseeing a wide range of policy files facing Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – formerly known as Industry Canada – from aerospace to intellectual property.
"I joined Minister Bains in Ottawa because the Trudeau government represents a unique, generational opportunity for meaningful change in Canada," Mr. Marques said in an e-mailed statement. "The Innovation portfolio is really about how the government can help create an environment that supports what Canadian industry does well, but also engages key stakeholders to address some of the challenges we have. Those include our approach to R&D … the ability of our most innovative businesses to scale up, and ensuring our businesses are prepared for global changes."
As a lawyer, Mr. Marques worked on corporate and commercial disputes, shareholder litigation, product liability issues, and other corporate and commercial issues. In one case, in 2011, he represented VC & Co. in a shareholder challenge against Economical Mutual Insurance Co.
"I come from a profession where I've had the opportunity to work with businesses very closely, to understand their problems and frustrations, and to see the need for a government that is actually trying to solve problems," Mr. Marques said. He added that the "profoundly important challenges" for the Innovation portfolio "require a government that is engaged, that listens, and that is playing a constructive role."
One of Mr. Bains' first announcements as minister was a return to the long-form census this year. Since then, his office has been confronted with a host of industry issues from tech startups' "war for talent" to BCE Inc.'s petition to cabinet arguing that it should not grant competitor access to its fastest fibre lines. Bombardier Inc. is also pressing Ottawa for $1-billion (U.S.) in aid.
Mr. Marques has been active in the law community through the Canadian Bar Association and other law groups, including the Portuguese Canadian Lawyers Association and the Federation of Portuguese-Canadian Business & Professionals.
The new Liberal government is still relying significantly on the public service as it works on filling posts in cabinet offices and the Prime Minister's Office.
In other recent moves, Treasury Board President Scott Brison has hired Liberal staffer Sabina Saini as his chief of staff. Ms. Saini previously worked as senior manager of policy and research for Mr. Trudeau in opposition, according to her LinkedIn page. Prior to that, she was deputy executive director for Results Canada, a non-profit that works extensively on poverty issues.
Ms. Saini is also a former staffer to then-Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, now a member of Mr. Trudeau's cabinet team. Mr. Brison's office has also hired Tisha Ashton, a long-time Liberal staffer, as director of policy, according to the federal staffing directory.
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has hired lawyer and former Liberal candidate Mary Jean McFall as his chief of staff, she said in a Twitter post. A graduate of Harvard University, she was working as a partner with Templeman Menninga LLP before joining his office.
A former board member of the Egg Farmers of Ontario, Ms. McFall previously worked at her family-owned company Burnbrae Farms, a Canadian egg producer. She ran as a Liberal candidate last year in the riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, finishing as runner-up behind Tory incumbent and MP Gord Brown.
In December, Monique Lugli joined the Trudeau government as chief of staff to Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu, the minister who is playing a key role in the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. Prior to the move, Ms. Lugli was working as an executive with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, according to her LinkedIn page.
Also last month, Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier hired chief of staff Josée Guilmette from the Quebec Liberal government of Premier Philippe Couillard. Ms. Guilmette joined the Trudeau government from her position as chief of staff to Quebec Native Affairs Minister Geoffrey Kelley. Her husband, Pietro Perrino, is an Associate Secretary-General for Mr. Couillard's executive council and a long-time Quebec Liberal.