Today, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Christiane Fox will be taking over as the new Deputy Minister of National Defence, replacing Stefanie Beck, who has held the role since June of last year. This marks an end to Stefanie’s tenure and a major shift at a time when the defence file has become a government priority.
Christiane Fox has served as Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet since January 27, 2024. As of October 21, 2024, she has also been concurrently serving as the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Before this, she held several roles within the public service. She was the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from July 2022 to January 2024; the Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada from September 2020 to July 2022; the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs from November 2019 to September 2020; and the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth from June 2017 to November 2019. She is also the Deputy Minister Champion of the Federal Youth Network.
She replaces Stefanie Beck. As mentioned, Mrs. Beck assumed the role of Deputy Minister of National Defence last June. Before that, she served as Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence in 2022.
She has also served as Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and has held long-standing roles within Foreign Affairs dating back to 2006. By all accounts, she has been a heavyweight on the defence file.
I never had a chance to meet her, though from all I hear, she was highly respected and passionate about defence. If you have followed us recently, you know she had taken a commanding lead in getting involved—especially in the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
Her removal at such a pivotal time, when so much is going on, is strange to me. She is absolutely someone I would want on this file—someone who has several years in the establishment and a long history in the public service in files like Foreign Affairs. When speaking on things like the CPSP, the establishment of the DIA, and Army restructuring—all happening at the same time—I want someone who knows what’s happening and can get us over the finish line.
Yet, I am not a public servant. I don’t know the background or the internal politics involved—so who am I to judge? These things are complex and messy, and I don’t try to get entangled in it all. So, I shall welcome Mrs. Fox and wish her all the best in this.
I shall also thank Mrs. Beck for the years she has spent on this file and all the hard work I know she has put in to set us up for success. Deputy Ministers tend to get overlooked, but they play an invaluable role in the public service; they are oftentimes the anchor of a department. To that end, I wish her well in her next adventure.