Katie Telford

Katie Telford (born 1978) is a former Canadian government official and political strategist who served as the 15th Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister beginning in 2015 under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She served as Trudeau's chief campaign advisor during his successful campaign in the 2015 election. Telford was widely regarded as the most senior official in Trudeau’s Prime Minister’s Office and has held critical leadership roles in the 2019 and 2021 Liberal election campaigns. She became one of the longest-serving chiefs of staff to a Canadian prime minister, serving the entirety of Trudeau's 10-year term.

Early life and education Telford was raised in Toronto. Her parents were public servants; her father was Australian and her mother was from Hamilton, Ontario.

When Telford was 12, she worked as a page for several weeks in the Ontario legislature. She studied political science at the University of Ottawa, where she joined the debate club and ultimately became the club's president. The team was a two-time national semi-finalist and finished high at the world championship event in Glasgow, Scotland. She returned to Toronto between her positions with Dion and Trudeau, working as a consultant for StrategyCorp in Toronto, These expenses included a personalized cash payout of $23,373.71. After it was revealed publicly, Telford agreed to repay a portion of the $80,382.55.

Telford's political influence and authority over the government and the liberal party were further elevated following the February 2019 resignation of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Gerald Butts, a personal friend of Prime Minister Trudeau since university days and Telford's close ally and former colleague in the Ontario McGuinty ministry. Prior to the departure, it was generally accepted that Telford and Butt were of equal stature as the highest-ranking aide to the prime minister and were co-leader of PMO. No other principal secretary was appointed for the remainder of the Trudeau years. Instead, Telford named two deputies, Brian Clow and future Health Minister Marjorie Michel, and remained the sole occupant of the PMO's highest rank until Trudeau's resignation in 2025.

In 2020 and 2021, then Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre on multiple occasions alleged that Telford's husband Rob Silver engaged in unlawful unregistered lobbying activities on behalf of his new employer MCAP, a non bank-owned mortgage finance company. It was alleged that Silver participated in meetings and discussions with officials in the Prime Minister's Office, Department of Finance and federal crown agency CMHC that lead to CMHC's decision to outsource the administration of the federal government's COVID-19 emergency rent assistance for small businesses and awarding the contract, worth up to $84 million, to MCAP. In response the Prime Minister's Office noted that Telford proactively reached out to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Lobbying Commissioner for direction and set up a voluntary ethics screen before MCAP was awarded the contract. This allegations against Silver was investigated by the Lobbying Commissioner, who cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Telford testified to a House of Commons committee regarding sexual assault allegations in the Canadian Armed Forces and the WE Charity scandal.

Telford has also been called by members of the media and opposition parties to testify about alleged Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, as of March 2023.

Telford was also influential in Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the negotiations of the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement.

Personal life Telford is married to Rob Silver, a consultant for a public affairs agency. They have one son.