Updated: Tue Oct. 27 2009 10:45:42 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has dropped his chief of staff, Ian Davey, and replaced him with veteran political strategist Peter Donolo.

Ignatieff confirmed the move in a statement late Tuesday.

"I am pleased to announce the arrival of Peter Donolo, who has accepted the role of Chief of Staff. Mr. Donolo brings a wealth of experience to this role," Ignatieff said.

Donolo was a communication director under former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien and was a partner at the Strategic Counsel, an Ontario polling firm.

"I'm very pleased to be joining the team," Donolo said in a statement. "Michael Ignatieff is an outstanding Canadian who I believe would make an excellent prime minister. I am fortunate to be building on the work initiated by Ian Davey."

Davey was a key figure in convincing Ignatieff to leave his position at Harvard University and run for the Liberals in federal politics. He also ran Ignatieff's leadership campaign in 2006.

"Ian Davey has my gratitude for his enormous service in building this OLO team, and I look forward to his continuing counsel," Ignatieff said.

However, with the party dealing with an internal dispute over Denis Coderre's resignation as Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant and low poll numbers nation-wide, Davey was deemed expendable.

CTV News is awaiting confirmation on whether the Liberal director of communications, Jill Fairbrother, has also left her post.

Donolo served as Chrétien's director of communications from 1993 to 1999. Following that, he served for two years as Canadian Consul General to Milan and later was a vice president at Air Canada.

Ignatieff has been criticized for having an inner circle that lacks in political experience and is too Toronto-based.

While Donolo is not lacking in experience, he is yet another Toronto addition to the Ignatieff team, having worked for two of the city's mayors. Though in all fairness, Donolo is originally from Montreal.

However, it is expected that Donolo will be put in charge of widening Ignatieff's inner circle of advisors, including adding more francophones.

Comments are now closed for this story

Jacob in Edmonton
Is this another sign of the flip flop and indecision that Ignatieff continues to show the Canadian people? Is he trying to fix what appears to be definitely broken within the Liberal party? Regardless of the changes that are made, I firmly believe that Ignatieff is the wrong leader for the Liberal party and has done it more damage than good in the short time he has been leader. I am not a Liberal supporter, but wouldn't even consider the Liberal Party for my vote at this time.

Westendr
Just looking for a any solution to acquire the key to the mint. What’s best for Canadians appears to be the last on the list of considerations.

Portes
The ship is sinking. I enclose a joke that was sent to me. While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, whose hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually, the topic got around to Ignatieff and his bid to be the PM of Canada. The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, he's a 'Post Turtle''. Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was. The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'. The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain: . . . 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, and he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb person put him up there to begin with'.

Phil in London
The count doesn't need a communications director he simply needs a travel agent to book his flight home and leave us all alone.

Hal
The liberals should drop Iggy!

Marg MM
Perhaps the Liberal party would be better off if they would just replace Michael Ignatieff!

Leasa
I loved it when Donolo was posing as an unbiased commentator on CTV...but his non-bias dress was buldging at the seems and his liberal red underwear was always showing, the way he was 'giving advice' to Iffy over and over. Trouble is as Donolo will learn, Iffy considers himself above listening to advice from any commoner. Speaking of red underwear, someone should tell Tom Clark that his red slip shows all too often to.

Chuck
Yes, drop Iggy, Harper and Layton and maybe this country will have a chance. The more you people complain and whine about this party or that they longer we will be held back. It's time to take politics out of running this country. Don't give me any bull about "that is what Harper, Layton, or Iggy is trying to do. Comments like that are 100% political.

Joe
it is not just Ignatieff, its the Liberal party for what it had and still does stand for. Canadians are now aware how many times the liberals as a Governing party and a political party has pulled the wool over their eyes. Those days are GONE.

John in Mississauga
Phil in Londonsaid 8 6 The count doesn't need a communications director he simply needs a travel agent to book his flight home and leave us all alone. ====================================I got news for you, he is home, born and raised here. I suppose you could say Wayne Gretzky isn't a Canadian as well now couldn't you. Your type of rhetoric is getting old and nobody really cares out there.

Bernard Kerr
Desperate situations require desperate solutions.This is not the solution. Forget rebuilding the party around Iggy. Address the fundamental problems within the party. You are not the natural governing party. Earn your right to form the government through positive policies, good for all Canadians

Fred - Brandon MB
It's Mr Dithers, Part III. I'm getting dizzy from watching Iggy flip flop and change direction so often. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic

Raymond
Welcome to 'Extreme Makeover - The Micheal Ignatieff Edition'.Perhaps he'll come out of it wearing a rose on his lapel, driving a sports car, and pirouetting behind Mr. Harper...

Bevan in Winnipeg
Rather amusing to watch the Liberals shuffle the chairs on the Titanic. It seems that they are scrambling to find relevance.We are wise to them and no amount of stick handling will change that.Just keep on substituting one political hack for another. So what?

Funny,funny,funny
This desparate party is trying every trick in the book.Today we saw them trying to make Canadians think that the Conservatives imported swine flu to kill us all off.Now Iffy is going to try and learn more about Canadian history from a couple of new advisers.He looks worse than Dion ever looked and some of my Liberal friends think their party is about to go away forever.

edd-medhat
Iffy, you're doing much more for the Conservatives than the Liberals. Do your party a favor and resign.

Matt
John in Mississauga:

With all do respect, your comparison of Michael Ignatieff with Wayne Gretzky is not even close to being applicable.

Wayne Gretzky didn't return to Canada after being promised the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, and for the sole purpose of trying to become PM. Ignatieff did.

Wayne Gretzky didn't say the only thing he missed about Canada was Algonquin Park. Ignatieff did.

Wayne Gretzky didn't say our flag reminded him of a label on a cheap bottle of beer. Ignatieff did.

David
Iggy has got to take the time to rebuild the Liberal Party forming new policies an idea's that Canadians can support and gravitate to.This notion of just wanting to be PM at any cost is yesterday's news. You have to show you care about this country and the people who live here. Stop thinking about yourself for a minute an show us some respect as voters.

KC
I'm just happy that Obama is president and that the conservatives in Canada are forever a minority gov't. Consensus in the house and compromise...that's what you have with minority gov'ts.

JS
Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream,Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,Life is but a dream.The Liberals should replace Ignotieff with Dion. Right now, Dion looks a lot better than Ignotieff.