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Secretary of the Treasury Board Catherine Blewett will soon take on the role of senior official at the Privy Council Office, a position she is expected to hold until she retires.
In a news release, the Prime Minister’s Office said Blewett’s new appointment will come into effect on June 3.
It also said, however, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Blewett on her “upcoming retirement” from the public service.
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“He thanked her for her dedication and service to Canadians throughout her career and wished her all the best in the future,” the release stated.
Blewett faced backlash earlier this month after stating she was stepping down from her role as secretary just days after announcing a major policy change requiring all public servants to be in the office three days a week by September.
Associate secretary of the Treasury Board Dominique Blanchard took on the role of acting secretary.
“Having spent many years working in service to the public, I came to the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada with optimism,” Blewett said in an email to this newspaper at the time. “Unfortunately, life had other plans for me, and I have had to leave my post far earlier than I had hoped. As I take time to focus on my health, I am buoyed by the knowledge that the public service is filled with strong leaders and committed employees across the country who work hard to serve citizens every day.”
A departmental official from the Treasury Board Secretary who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed earlier this month that Blewett had been working remotely from her home in Halifax due to her health and was going on leave.
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The official said Blewett was in full compliance with the direction on prescribed presence in the workplace, which allows for “certain exemptions in exceptional cases, notably for medical reasons.”
Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesperson for the Privy Council Office, said Blewett’s retirement date is considered personal information under the Privacy Act. He could not confirm whether she would be on leave as of next week or whether she would be working remotely.
Bujold said Blanchard will continue as associate secretary of the Treasury Board.
Replacing Blewett as Secretary of the Treasury Board is Bill Matthews, who is currently the deputy minister of National Defence, effective June 3.
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