Gerald Butts
| Gerald Butts | |
|---|---|
| File:Gerald Butts.jpg
Butts in November 2015
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| Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister | |
| Assumed office November 2015 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Gerald Michael Butts[1] July 8, 1971 Glace Bay, Nova Scotia |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse(s) | Jodi (Heimpel) Butts |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
| Alma mater | McGill University York University |
Gerald Michael Butts (born July 8, 1971) is the senior political adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.[2] Since November 2015, he has been the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.[3][4] From 2008 to 2012, he was President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada, a global conservation organization.
Contents
Early life and education
Butts grew up in the Bridgeport neighbourhood of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, with three older brothers and one older sister.[5] He is the son of Charles William Butts, a coal miner, and Rita Monica (Yorke) Butts, a nurse and a first-generation Canadian daughter of a Ukrainian father and a Polish mother.[6][7][8][9]
He received a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. It was at McGill that he was introduced to Justin Trudeau by a mutual friend.[5][10] There, he was also elected president of the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate and won the national debating championships two years in a row.[5] He briefly attended York University to pursue a Ph.D.[9]
Career
In 1999, Butts became a policy director within the Government of Ontario.[5] He was the Policy Secretary, and later the Principal Secretary, in the office of the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, in Toronto.[11] Butts had previously worked with senator Allan MacEachen, and with George Smitherman.[5] With Butts' influence,[9] the Ontario Liberal Party won the Ontario provincial elections in 2003 and in 2007.
On June 25, 2008, Butts was announced as the President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. He officially took up the position on September 2, 2008,[12] succeeding Mike Russill.
On October 16, 2012,[13] Butts left WWF-Canada to become the political advisor to Justin Trudeau.[14] His position at WWF-Canada was filled by David Miller, a former Mayor of Toronto.
On December 13, 2012, Butts was interviewed by Steve Paikin for The Agenda on the topic of 'The Best Way to Clean Up the Environment'.[15][16] Butts has published articles in the Boston Book Review, the Literary Review of Canada, and Gravitas. He has also appeared on television programs such as W5 and TSN's Off the Record.
2015 Canadian Election
| “ | If the Liberals were to win the 2015 election, Gerald Butts could become one of the most powerful people in Canada. | ” |
| — Lee Berthiaume[5] | ||
| “ | It’s hard to picture Trudeau running for Prime Minister without [Gerald Butts]. | ” |
| — Former Canadian Senator[2] | ||
Stemming from a two-decade-long friendship, Butts became the senior political adviser to Justin Trudeau in 2012.[2] Thus, he is among the five people with whom Trudeau consults regularly.[9] He assisted on the vast majority of policy on which Trudeau campaigned.[9]
Previously, during Trudeau's initial time as Liberal party leader, Butts advised on such decisions and issues as the legalizing of marijuana, the expulsion of the entire Liberal Senate caucus,[2] and Trudeau's position on the Northern Gateway pipeline.[5]
Personal life
Butts is the nephew of a former Canadian senator, the Hon. Mary Alice “Peggy” Butts.
He is married to Jodi (Heimpel) Butts, a lawyer,[17] and they have two children, Aidan Ignatius (born May 6, 2006)[18] and Ava Augusta (born December 1, 2007).[19] They reside in High Park, Toronto.
References
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- ↑ The Liberal Team That Dethroned the Tories (Ottawa Citizen, 2003)
- ↑ WWF-Canada Appoints New CEO (WWF-Canada,2008)[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Law Society of Upper Canada - call to the bar in Toronto on Feb. 24, 2000.
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