Paul Wilson
Professor
Political Science
Carleton University
Canada
Biography
Paul Wilson joined the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management in 2011 with over a decade of experience as a senior political advisor both in government and opposition. He served as director of policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada from 2009 to 2011, with responsibility as acting chief of staff to the prime minister during the 2011 election campaign. From 2006 to 2009 he worked as director of policy for the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the President of Treasury Board and the Minister of Justice. After completing his PhD in early modern English history (Queen’s 1994) he worked with the Leader of the Reform Party and Canadian Alliance, serving as director of research in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001.
Research Interest
Political advisors, including ministerial exempt staff and parliamentary staff; Core executive studies, including comparisons across Westminster systems; Machinery of government, including cabinet structures and advisory systems; Parliamentary procedure and parliamentary caucus management.
Publications
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“The inter-executive activity of ministerial policy advisors in the Government of Canada.†In How Ottawa Spends 2016-2017: The Trudeau Liberals in Power, edited by G. Bruce Doern and Christopher Stoney. Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration: Ottawa, 2016, pp. 191-215.
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“Harper and the House of Commons: An evidence-based assessment.†In The Harper Factor: Assessing a Prime Minister’s Policy Legacy, edited by Jennifer Ditchburn and Graham Fox. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2016, pp. 27-43.
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Anna Esselment and R. Paul Wilson. 2017. “Campaigning from the centre: Strategic communications and issues management in the Prime Minister’s Office.†In Permanent Campaigning in Canada, ed. Alex Marland, Anna Esselment and Thierry Giasson, Vancouver: UBC Press: 222-240.
