OTTAWA — Ian Todd is stepping down as chief of staff to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the end of the current parliamentary session. In a letter sent Tuesday to Conservative caucus members and staff, Todd said the time felt right to retire from the role after serving as Poilievre’s chief of staff for the past four years.“It is not easy to get off the saddle, but the time feels right,” Todd wrote. Todd said his political involvement began as a teenager working alongside former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed and later included work with the Reform Party under Preston Manning.“I first came to Parliament Hill in 1992 with the visionary Preston Manning and a trailblazing group of determined Reformers,” Todd wrote. He also referenced working with former prime minister Stephen Harper, conservative premiers and multiple federal opposition leaders over the course of his career.“Each of these experiences has reinforced my belief in the importance of principled leadership and dedicated public service,” Todd wrote. .Todd said he remains committed to Poilievre and the Conservative movement despite leaving his current position.“I look forward to the day when Pierre Poilievre serves as Prime Minister and Canada reaches its full potential once again,” he wrote. According to Sam Lilly, Poilievre’s director of media relations, Steve Outhouse will assume the role of chief of staff in addition to continuing as the Conservative Party’s campaign manager.Lilly also said Aaron Wudrick will serve as deputy chief of staff.Wudrick previously served as director of domestic policy at the MacDonald Laurier Institute and as the Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation.
