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IN THE NEWS ~ The Top 100 Most Powerful & Influential People in Government and Politics: 2015

Published | Publié: 2015-01-19

Received | Reçu: 2015-01-20 6:03 AM

Hill Times

Hill Times

 

Mark Burgess

As journalists, we're told that everyone likes lists. We aren't just told this, we notice it as consumers of news every day, lured by the same headlines that have most readers biting: "Top 10 jobs that attract psychopaths," "Top 10 places worse than Ottawa in January." This list takes a bit more care than your average click-bait but the reader is, of course, free to consume it as he or she chooses: as pleasurable infotainment, as contemptible pseudo-social science, or as grounds for adding a line to the CV and mailing copies of this magazine to relatives, friends, and enemies.

This list is subjective but not whimsical. It was compiled through a series of off-the-record meetings with multiple sources who generously gave their time and expertise to talk about who will matter in 2015. One thing to notice while consulting for these lists is what Freud called the "narcissism of minor differences." Opinions about those within the political tribe are often sharper than those from without. For this reason, it was important to consult staffers and insiders from different parties, not only to get the scoop on the inner dynamics but to check with an opposing party about whether people were being too harsh about their own. And this cuts across all forms of identity politics, which is why it was also important to consult a roughly equal number of men and women.

The list is forward-looking, taking into account a person's projected influence in 2015, an important year in federal politics. We don't go as far as considering potential ministers in a future government, or future party leaders after the election fallout-an exercise that would not only make us look foolish but would also make for dull reading-but those in positions to significantly impact the 2015 federal election's outcome are especially influential this year. There's also a rather significant federal budget this winter that will feed directly into the Conservative election platform and influence the ballot question. Those involved in the budget's crafting- from the finance minister and his key staffers to the PMO to the department-also have outsize representation on the list.

Without further ado, we bring you the Eighth Annual Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential list. We hope you enjoy the read. Please feel free to let us know either way.

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THE TOP 25

  1. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister

  2. Joe Oliver, Finance Minister

  3. John Baird, Foreign Affairs Minister

  4. Jason Kenney, Employment and Social Development Minister

  5. Janice Charette, Privy Council Clerk

  6. Jenni Byrne, Conservative Party National Campaign Manager

  7. Justin Trudeau, Liberal Party Leader

  8. Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

  9. Richard Fadden, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister

  10. Thomas Mulcair, NDP Leader

  11. James Moore, Industry Minister

  12. Ray Novak, PMO Chief of Staff

  13. Paul Rochon, Deputy Minister of Finance

  14. Ed Fast, International Trade Minister

  15. Diane Finley, Public Works Minister

  16. Bob Paulson, RCMP Commissioner

  17. Daniel Nowlan, Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Joe Oliver

  18. Yaprak Baltacioglu, Treasury Board Secretary

  19. Laureen Harper, Prime Minister's Wife

  20. Gerald Butts, Principal Adviser to Justin Trudeau

  21. Gary Doer, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.

  22. Sean Speer, PMO Special Adviser

  23. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

  24. Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada

  25. Howard Anglin, PMO Deputy Chief of Staff

THE POLITICIANS

  • Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health

  • Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety

  • Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia

  • Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board

  • Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec

  • Peter Julian, NDP House Leader

  • Denis Lebel, Infrastructure Minister

  • Megan Leslie, NDP Deputy Leader

  • Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice

  • Rob Nicholson, Minister of Defence

  • Jim Prentice, Premier of Alberta

  • Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport

  • Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources

  • Peter Van Loan, Government House Leader

  • Brad Wall, Premier of Saskatchewan

THE POLITICAL STAFFERS

  • Karl Bélanger, Principal Secretary to Thomas Mulcair

  • Rebecca Blaikie, NDP Party President and Campaign Manager for Quebec

  • Rachel Curran, PMO Policy Director

  • Dan Gagnier, Liberal National Campaign Co-chair

  • Raoul Gébert, Chief of Staff to Thomas Mulcair

  • Guy Giorno, Conservative Campaign Chair

  • Phil Harwood, PMO Policy Adviser for Fiscal and Economic Affairs

  • Jeremy Hunt, PMO Director of Stakeholder Relations

  • Jason MacDonald, PMO Communications Director

  • James Maunder, Chief of Staff to Industry Minister James Moore

  • David McArthur, Chief of Staff to Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford

  • Anne McGrath, NDP National Campaign Director

  • John Penner, Deputy Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Joe Oliver

  • Cyrus Reporter, Chief of Staff to Justin Trudeau

  • Katie Telford, Liberal National Campaign Co-chair

  • Andrea van Vugt, Chief of Staff to International Trade Minister Ed Fast

  • Dustin van Vugt, Executive Director of the Conservative Party

PUBLIC SERVANTS AND OFFICIALS

  • Jean-Pierre Blais, CRTC Chair

  • Michel Coulombe, Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service

  • Michael Ferguson, Auditor General of Canada

  • John Forster, Chief, Communications Security Establishment Canada

  • Bob Hamilton, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources

  • Bruce and Vicki Heyman, U.S. Ambassador to Canada and his wife

  • Christine Hogan, Deputy Minister of International Trade

  • Daniel Jean, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

  • David Johnston, Governor General of Canada

  • Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister of Health

  • John Knubley, Deputy Minister of Industry

  • Tom Lawson, Chief of Defence Staff

  • Marc Mayrand, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada

  • Marta Morgan, Associate Deputy Minister of Finance

  • John Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York

  • Colleen Swords, Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

  • Daniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of Canada

  • Peter Watson, Chair of the National Energy Board

  • Michael Wernick, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet

THE MEDIA

  • David Akin, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Sun Media

  • Theo Argitis, Bloomberg Ottawa Bureau Chief

  • Joël-Denis Bellavance, La Presse Bureau Chief

  • Steve Chase, Globe and Mail Reporter

  • Andrew Coyne, National Post Comment Editor

  • Jennifer Ditchburn, Canadian Press Reporter

  • Bob Fife, CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief

  • Chantal Hébert, Columnist for The Toronto Star and L'actualité

  • John Ivison, National Post Columnist

  • Lisa LaFlamme, Chief Anchor and Senior Editor, CTV National News

  • Will LeRoy, National Newswatch Founder

  • Stephen Maher, Postmedia News Reporter and Columnist

  • Peter Mansbridge, Anchor and Chief Correspondent, CBC's The National

  • Don Martin, Host of CTV's Power Play

  • Glen McGregor, Ottawa Citizen Reporter

  • Althia Raj, Huffington Post Canada Ottawa Bureau Chief

  • Evan Solomon, Host of CBCNN's Power & Politics and CBC Radio's The House

  • Paul Wells, Maclean's Political Editor

THE LOBBYISTS

  • Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

  • Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman of Open Text

  • Dan Kelly, President and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business

  • Jayson Myers, President and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

FIRST NATIONS LEADERS

  • Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations

  • Art Sterritt, Executive Director of Coastal First Nations

Online: http://www.hilltimes.com/2015/01/19/the-top-100-most-powerful-%2526-influential-people-in-government-and-politics-2015/40785

 

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