Decision 2018: The Forces Shaping Ontario’s 42nd Election
Roundtable Luncheon with Michael Balagus, Tim Murphy and Will Stewart
Please note this event including speakers' remarks and any Q&A was on-record.
Michael Balagus, Chief of Staff to Andrea Horwath and NDP Campaign Director
Michael assumed the position of Chief of Staff and Principal Secretary for Ontario’s New Democrats in October 2014. Working directly with the Leader of the Party, Andrea Horwath, Michael is a senior strategist and experienced manager with a long history of advocacy and political coordination.
From 2003 to 2012 Michael was the Chief of Staff to Manitoba’s NDP Premier Greg Selinger and to former premier Gary Doer. He was responsible for coordinating political staff and was the senior political advisor to the Premier, Cabinet and Caucus. Michael was the Manitoba NDP’s Provincial Campaign Director in the Party’s 2007 and 2011 victories.
In the early 2000 Michael worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the National Democratic Institute developing training, programming for youth and mentoring local staff about effective electoral processes. He has a strong background in governmental communications and an extensive knowledge of unions, health care, and labour relations.
Prior to joining the Ontario NDP, Michael was the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Administrative Officer for the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).
Tim Murphy, Co-Chair, Project Finance, Infrastructure and Energy (and former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Martin)
Tim Murphy is an Executive Partner at McMillan LLP and Managing Director of McMillan Vantage Policy Group LP. His extensive experience in the public sector, including as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Canada, Chief of Staff to the Finance Minister of Canada, as a Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, Campaign Co-Chair to the Premier of Ontario and as a strategic advisor to governments at all levels, helps him guide clients to better results with Government.
As a lawyer, Tim has advised national and international clients in diverse areas including project finance, construction law, infrastructure and renewable energy, government procurement and indigenous affairs.
BNN, Global Television, CTV Newsnet and CBC Newsworld frequently invite Tim as a commentator. He has also written articles for Policy Options, The Walrus, Canadian Public Administration Journal and The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star. Tim also lectures regularly on public policy, political and legal issues.
Tim is currently an adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law teaching the Law and Policy of Public Private Partnerships at the JD and LLM levels and serves on public, private and not-for-profit boards.
Will Stewart, Managing Principal, Navigator (and former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Energy)
As a Managing Principal at Navigator and founding Principal at Ensight, Will has earned the trust and respect of leaders in corporations, government and not-for-profit organizations for his expertise as one of Canada’s leading public affairs advisors.
Will has demonstrated expertise in qualitative research, media relations, campaign planning and reputation management and recovery. He provides strategic planning, research and communications counsel to clients in a diverse variety of traditional and emerging sectors, including an expertise in Canada’s legal cannabis sector where he works with a series of licensed producers and other organizations in the space.
Prior to joining Navigator and founding Ensight, Will served as Chief of Staff to the Honourable John Baird in a variety of portfolios.
A respected media commentator on politics, public policy and social media, Will appears regularly on television, radio, and in print as a strategist. Will was honoured to be chosen by the Hill Times as a member of its Top 100 Lobbyists for six consecutive years and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to Canadian public policy.
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