Jenni Byrne

Byrne was born to Jerry and Julie Byrne in 1976 in Fenelon Falls, Ontario. Her mother was a teacher, who died in 2010 at the age of 58. Her father is a carpenter who joined the Reform Party in the 1990s to protest the long-gun registry enacted as part of the Firearms Act, introduced by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Byrne was a nursing student at Georgian College but did not graduate. She later attended the University of Ottawa, where she organized campus clubs for the Reform Party of Canada and did not graduate. ==Political career==

Byrne became involved in politics at age 16 when she joined the Reform Party. Byrne's father, Jerry, had joined the same party to protest the Liberals' long-gun registry. Once referred to as "the most powerful woman in Ottawa," Byrne has been called Prime Minister Harper's "single best political organizer", a dedicated Harper loyalist who believed in the party during its darkest days. She is also known for her tenacity and possesses "a single-minded unwillingness to put up with people screwing around." Stephen Harper's Conservative Party In 2009, she became the Director of Political Operations for the Conservative Party of Canada following the appointment of Doug Finley to the Senate of Canada. In August 2013, Byrne left her job as the Conservative Director of Political Operations and returned to the Prime Minister's Office as co-Deputy Chief of Staff. Campaign manager for 2015 election In October 2014 the Conservative Party announced that Byrne would lead the campaign in the 2015 Canadian federal election. The Conservative government lost power to the Liberals, who won a majority of the seats. After the election, a number of Conservatives blamed Byrne for her role in the party's defeat and criticized her management style. Byrne's contract expired after the election. After the election, she joined Bayfield Strategy as vice-president of strategic communications. Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative Party Following Doug Ford's election as leader of the Ontario PC Party in March 2018, Byrne took over as Director of Field Operations for the 2018 provincial election. After the election, Byrne was selected to be Ford's first Principal Secretary. In February 2020 she launched Jenni Byrne + Associates, a government relations firm based in Toronto. Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party As Pierre Poilievre took leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, Byrne returned to the CPC to work for Poilievre. While her specific role in the CPC is simply that of an advisor, political commentators generally describe Byrne as Poilievre's right hand and chief strategist. Her role in Poilievre's campaign has created controversy because her consulting firm "Jenni Byrne + Associates" has multiple lobbyists registered on behalf of Loblaws. Loblaw Companies Limited has been central in discussions about the inflation surge in Canada, including testifying in the Parliament of Canada on the matter. Byrne served as the CPC's campaign manager for the 2025 Canadian federal election; the party was defeated by the Liberal Party of Canada. Following criticism of her role in the campaign, Byrne announced that she would not serve in that role in the next election but would continue as an advisor to Poilievre. Prominent conservatives Doug Ford, Tim Houston, and Kory Teneycke, have been particularly critical of the campaign. ==Media==

Byrne is a frequent political commentator. She was a regular member of David Herle's podcast, The Herle Burly and when the show was split into two separate programs she moved to Herle's commentary-only podcast Curse of Politics. She is currently on hiatus from her role on the show in order to focus on her role supporting Pierre Poilievre at the Conservative Party of Canada. == Personal life ==

Byrne is not married and does not have children. She was previously involved in a romantic relationship with Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, whose campaign for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada she helped manage. Her sister, Jerra Kosick (nee Byrne), is also involved with the Conservative Party of Canada, most recently serving as the chief of staff to Michelle Rempel. She is personal friends with Kory Teneycke and Ray Novak, all of whom were close advisors to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The three met while working for the Reform Party of Canada during the 1997 Canadian federal election. == References ==