Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is losing his top foreign policy adviser.
Roland Paris, the man credited with shaping Trudeau’s foreign policy, surprised many observers when he tweeted yesterday that he’ll be returning to his teaching position at the University of Ottawa. Paris did not give reasons for quitting the Prime Minister’s Office.
It’s been an honour & privilege to serve the PM and to help get the government’s foreign policy off on the right foot. (2/2)
— Roland Paris (@rolandparis) June 13, 2016
“For someone like me, who cares deeply about Canada playing a positive and effective role in global affairs, there is no greater reward than having contributed in a small way to renewing our country’s energetic leadership and good name in the world,” Paris said in a statement posted with his tweet.
Paris is university research chair in International Security and Governance at the University of Ottawa, founding director of the Centre for International Policy Studies, and associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
“It has been an extraordinary journey,” Paris wrote. “Before the election, I had the privilege of drafting a foreign policy strategy for a future Trudeau government, contributing to the development of the election platform, and helping Mr. Trudeau prepare for his campaign debates.”
After the Liberals won the October 19 election, Paris took a leave from the university to work in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Paris helped prepare Trudeau for a flurry of international summits that followed within weeks of the Liberals assuming power in November 2015.
“I look forward now to resuming my research and teaching in international relations, enriched by the experience of having worked in the PMO,” Paris wrote. “I will remain in my current position until June 30, following the North American Leaders Summit.”
The 48-year-old father of three said after a vacation with his family, he will be back in his university office “gearing up for the new academic year.”
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