The least qualified person in the room

What took me by surprise when I joined the PMO was the pushback that came because I wasn’t a political staffer already. I didn't fully comprehend that ‘politics’ thinks of itself as an institution rather than an industry.

The change in how Canadians are reached and moved isn't coming. It's here, and it's been here for more than a decade, writes Max Valiquette. Pexels photograph courtesy of Pressmaster

Opinion

BY MAX VALIQUETTE

September 16, 2026

I appreciate The Hill Times asking me to contribute to this special edition about political staff. (I appreciate The Hill Times, period.) But I may be the least qualified person you’ll read in this issue. I was the executive director of communications for...

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