Public Healthy Agency of Canada gets new president as current one steps down

By: The Canadian Press Posted:

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OTTAWA - The Public Health Agency of Canada is getting a new president as the country heads into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/09/2020 (2183 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – The Public Health Agency of Canada is getting a new president as the country heads into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Iain Stewart, currently head of the National Research Council of Canada, to take over the role.

Last week, the federal public health agency’s president, Tina Namiesniowski, announced she was stepping down.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is getting a new president as the country heads into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Iain Stewart, currently head of the National Research Council, to take over the role. Stewart, at right, is pictured with (from left) University of Ottawa vice-president of research Sylvain Charbonneau, NRC vice-president Genevieve Tanguay, 2018 Nobel laureate in physics Donna Strickland and NRC researcher Paul Corkum in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
The Public Health Agency of Canada is getting a new president as the country heads into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Iain Stewart, currently head of the National Research Council, to take over the role. Stewart, at right, is pictured with (from left) University of Ottawa vice-president of research Sylvain Charbonneau, NRC vice-president Genevieve Tanguay, 2018 Nobel laureate in physics Donna Strickland and NRC researcher Paul Corkum in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

She sent a letter to the agency’s staff saying that after months of responding to the health crisis, “none of us are superhuman” and that she needed a break.

Stewart, who has been a senior member of the public service for about 20 years, aside from a yearlong stint at Dalhousie University, will begin his new job Sept. 28.

Trudeau also gave Namiesniowski a new job as a senior official in the Privy Council Office, a bureaucratic operation that supports the prime minister and cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2020.

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