Prime Minister Mark Carney has shaken up the senior ranks of the public service, creating and expanding some roles in a continued effort to put his stamp on the machinery of government. 

Carney last shuffled his deputy ministers in December, promising the changes would deliver results for Canadians.

Glenn Purves, who left the public sector in January 2025 to work as an economist at the BlackRock Investment Institute, is coming back to the government fold as Carney’s deputy minister of international trade.

Purves served as the assistant deputy minister of economic development for Finance Canada for two years starting in 2021 — a department where he also worked from 2011 to 2018 in various senior roles including director general of fiscal policy. 

His long history of public service also included stints as assistant secretary at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and a senior adviser at the International Monetary Fund.

David Morrison, the deputy minister of foreign affairs, is moving closer into the prime minister’s orbit by taking on his new role as Carney’s senior diplomatic and international affairs adviser.

Arun Thangaraj, the deputy minister of transport, is being moved into Morrison’s position at Global Affairs Canada.

Morrison will also represent Carney in negotiations with other countries leading up to G7 and G20 summits. He will be working out of the Privy Council Office, the nonpartisan agency that runs the federal public service.

Cynthia Termorshuizen, who held that G7 and G20 role, is being moved to international development where she will serve as deputy minister. 

Termorshuizen was the deputy ambassador to China from 2015 to 2018 and previously worked as the associated deputy minister of foreign affairs. 

Fentanyl czar takes on more responsibilities

Rob Stewart, who serves as the deputy minister of international trade, is leaving that post to serve as the deputy minister responsible for leading the creation of the new Financial Crimes Agency.

Announced in October, the Financial Crimes Agency is being built to investigate complex cases of money laundering, organized crime and financial scams, and recover the illegal proceeds from those activities. 

Dominic Rochon leaves his role as the chief information officer of Canada to become the Privy Council Office’s deputy secretary to the cabinet focused on national security and intelligence.

Nathalie Drouin, who has been serving as the deputy clerk of the Privy Council and national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister since January 2024, was named Canada’s new ambassador to France earlier this month.

David Angell, who was the foreign and defence policy adviser to the prime minister, becomes associate deputy minister of foreign affairs. 

Kevin Brosseau, who was named Canada’s fentanyl czar in February 2025, is keeping that role but is also being made the senior associate deputy minister of national defence and commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard. 

In a statement the Prime Minister’s Office said the “leadership changes support the strong, effective delivery of priorities and results for Canadians, while positioning the federal government to advance Canada’s interests and respond to the rapidly shifting dynamics of the global landscape.”

Other senior positions named Wednesday include:

• Michael Vandergrift, the former deputy minister of natural resources, becomes deputy minister of transport.
• Ted Gallivan, the interim deputy national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister, becomes the new deputy minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.
• Harpreet S. Kochhar, the current deputy minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, becomes president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
• Paul MacKinnon is leaving his position as president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to serve as deputy minister of fisheries and oceans.
• Nancy Gardiner, who leads the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario, will take on the role of deputy minister of veterans affairs.
• Kaili Levesque leaves her role as associate deputy minister of fisheries and oceans to become an associate deputy minister of innovation, science and economic development. She will also serve as the president of the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario.
• Talal Dakalbab leaves his role as the senior assistant deputy minister in the crime prevention branch of Public Safety Canada to take over as commissioner of corrections from Anne Kelly, who will move into an advisory role pending her upcoming retirement.
• Francis Trudel, the associate chief human resources officer at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, is being moved to Public Services and Procurement Canada where he will serve as associate deputy minister. 

In a statement Carney wished Kelly, Chris Forbes, the former deputy minister of finance and Bob Hamilton, the former commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency, well on their retirements.