Pierre Poilievre’s chief of staff Ian Todd announced Tuesday he would retire at the end of the current parliamentary sitting — the second senior departure from the Opposition Leader’s Office in six weeks, after communications director Katy Merrifield left in April.
Todd joined Poilievre’s office when the Conservative leader took over the party in 2022 and has spent five decades in federal politics. Merrifield was widely credited as one of the key forces behind Poilievre’s political evolution since the 2025 election loss.
Campaign manager Steve Outhouse will absorb the chief of staff role on top of his existing duties; Aaron Wudrick becomes deputy chief of staff. Tapping the campaign manager to also run the opposition office signals how thinly stretched the party has become with no election imminent.
Five MPs — four Conservatives and one NDP — crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus since November, and the Liberals won three April by-elections — handing Mark Carney’s government a majority and stripping the Conservatives of leverage over the parliamentary agenda.
Related: Here’s how Liberals ask Conservatives to cross the floor, MP reveals
Conservative MPs have taken to checking local polling numbers weekly and gaming out seat losses, according to the Globe and Mail. Questions about a leadership replacement are circulating quietly in caucus; no challenger has emerged.
Related: Poilievre Vows to Stay, But His Party Isn’t So Sure
Both departing staffers expressed loyalty to Poilievre. Todd said in his letter that he looks forward to the day Poilievre becomes prime minister. Poilievre called him “phenomenal.”
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