Privy Council Office (Canada) in the context of "Public Service of Canada"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Privy Council Office (Canada) in the context of "Public Service of Canada"




⭐ Core Definition: Privy Council Office (Canada)

The Privy Council Office (PCO; French: Bureau du Conseil privé; BCP) is the central agency of the Government of Canada which acts as the secretariat to the Cabinet of Canada – a committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada – and provides non-partisan advice and support to the Canadian ministry, as well as leadership, coordination, and support to the departments and agencies of government.

The clerk of the Privy Council, who leads the department, is the head of the civil service of Canada, and acts as the deputy minister to the prime minister, who is the minister responsible for the department. The Privy Council Office is located in the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council building (previously known as Langevin Block) on Parliament Hill.

↓ Menu

In this Dossier

Privy Council Office (Canada) in the context of Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council

The Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (French: Bureau du Premier ministre et du Conseil privé) building, formerly known as the Langevin Block (French: Édifice Langevin, IPA: [lɑ̃ʒvɛ̃]), is an office building facing Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. As the home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister, it is the working headquarters of the executive branch of the Canadian government.

The term Langevin Block was previously used as a metonym for the Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council Office. The building was named after Father of Confederation and cabinet minister Hector-Louis Langevin. Recognizing Langevin's role in establishing the residential school system, associated with the abuse of Indigenous children and attempts to forcibly assimilate them, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the renaming of the building on June 21, 2017.

↑ Return to Menu

Privy Council Office (Canada) in the context of Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)

The Office of the Prime Minister (commonly called the prime minister's office or PMO; French: Cabinet du Premier ministre, CPM) comprises the political staff which support the prime minister of Canada. Located in the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council Building in Ottawa, Ontario. The PMO provides policy advice, information gathering, communications, planning, and strategizing. It should not be confused with the Privy Council Office (PCO) – a department of the Government of Canada and part of the Public Service, which is expressly non-partisan. The PMO is concerned with making policy, whereas the PCO is concerned with executing the policy decisions.

The chief of staff to the prime minister manages the office's day-to-day operations. Marc-André Blanchard has been Prime Minister Mark Carney's chief of staff since July 7, 2025. The principal secretary is another senior official in the office whose duties vary depending on the prime minister at the time. Tom Pitfield became the principal secretary on March 14, 2025.

↑ Return to Menu