But I guess ITQ will just have to make do, now that Susan Delacourt has posted the official announcement of what the Globe’s Jane Taber reported in her weekend notebook: the much-speculated-over job of Chief of Staff to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff goes to … Ian Davey. Who was, of course, already on staff at OLO, serving as Ignatieff’s principal secretary, a post that will, as far as ITQ knows, now disappear into the ether. It’s hard to see how this is going to change all that much, although it probably means that outgoing acting CoS Paul Zed can now not reply to emailed queries from ITQ with even more enthusiasm.
Speaking of summertime Hill staff shuffles, Taber’s last column touted Jason Lietaer as a virtual lock to replace Kory Teneycke as the new PMO director of communications. It’s his second appearance on that particular shortlist, in fact — he was rumoured to be in the running for the same gig last time around, too. Although back then, he was safely ensconced in the private sector, Lietaer has since surfaced on the Hill as one of the rarely seen minions that make up the shadowy Conservative Research Brigade. (Okay, technically, it’s the Conservative Resource Group, but ITQ likes her version better.)
Oh, and there’s no word yet on whether the Giornorganizer General is planning to find someone to take over Carolyn Stewart Olson’s soon-t0-be-vacated title, or if he’s just going to hand her former staff over Issues Management suprema Jenni Byrne, who, by all accounts, pretty much calls the shots at PMO when it comes to strategic communication-with-an-s. ITQ will, as always, keep you posted. We obsessively check GEDS so you don’t have to, after all. It’s in our mission statement.
