Upon graduating from
McGill University, his first job was working as a research assistant in the Senate office of
Allan MacEachen. There, he helped organize MacEachen's past correspondence for the purposes of his intended memoirs (which in the event were never written). In 1999, Butts became a policy director within the
Government of Ontario. Prior to the 2007 election, Butts was a McGuinty insider. After the election, he became McGuinty's principal adviser. As one of his biographical notes describes it, Butts "was intimately involved in all of the government’s significant environmental initiatives, from the Greenbelt and Boreal Conservation plan to the coal phase-out and toxic reduction strategy". Butts had previously worked with Senator
Allan MacEachen and with
George Smitherman. succeeding Mike Russill. On October 16, 2012, Butts left WWF Canada to become the political advisor to Justin Trudeau. His position at WWF Canada was filled by
David Miller, a former
mayor of Toronto. On December 13, 2012, Butts was interviewed by
Steve Paikin for
The Agenda on the topic of "The Best Way to Clean Up the Environment". Butts has published articles in the
Boston Book Review, the
Literary Review of Canada, and
Gravitas. He has also appeared on television programs such as
W5 and
TSN's
Off the Record.
2015 Canadian election and premiership of Justin Trudeau In 2012, stemming from a two-decade-long friendship, Butts became the senior political adviser to Justin Trudeau and one of the few people with whom Trudeau consulted regularly. These expenses included a personalized cash payout of $20,799.10. After it was revealed publicly, Butts agreed to repay $41,618.62. On February 18, 2019, Butts stepped down as Trudeau's principal secretary and stated that it was to defend himself from allegations made against him in relation to the
SNC-Lavalin affair and to avoid drawing attention away from the prime minister's work. At the time of Butts' resignation, Trudeau had responded by thanking him for his service, while acknowledging the integrity, guidance, and devotion that Butts had provided him. In July 2019, Prime Minister Trudeau hired Butts back to play a key role in the Liberal 2019 election campaign. Between January 2017 and February 2024, Butt's
Eurasia Group received over $1.5 million in contracts from the Government of Canada for consulting and geopolitical research. ==Personal life==