Soudas stepping down

“It all started on Sep 5 2002 and on Sep 5 2011 – 9 yrs later – I’ll start a new chapter of my life. Priority 1 my wife and 3 kids,” Dimitri Soudas Tweeted on Wednesday, announcing that he will step down as Communications Director to the PM.

Soudas, one of the longest-serving and most loyal members of Harper’s team, began his career in municipal politics in his hometown of Montreal. He made the move to Ottawa in 2002 to work as Harper’s press secretary, when Harper was the leader of the old Canadian Alliance party. He has played the role of Harper’s Quebec adviser since 2006.

In April 2011, Harper named Soudas as his official spokesman.

The bond between Harper and Soudas, who is of Greek descent, was on display as the prime minister made a bilateral visit to Greece last week. The prime minister visited the Soudas’ ancestral village of Kalavryta. Harper paid his respects at a memorial of the Greek men and boys, including Soudas’ grandfather, killed by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Like many Harper loyalists, Soudas is fiercely partisan. He has had a tempestuous relationship with the parliamentary press gallery and played a role in limiting the media’s access to Harper, pre-selecting the reporters who would be able to pose questions at events and appearances.

Soudas has also weathered his fair share of controversies.

Most recently, Soudas was under the spotlight for an appointment to Montreal Port Authority in 2007. Soudas was accused of trying to influence the board into choosing Robert Abdallah, the former director-general at Montreal City Hall. Both Soudas and Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the government did express its preference for the appointment, but that practice is commonplace. The job eventually went to another person instead.

He was also investigated by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson in 2008 for allegedly intervening into a long-standing legal dispute in Montreal. Soudas admitted to meeting with the parties involved, but denied any wrongdoing. The ethics commissioner cleared Soudas of any wrongdoing. In the report, she described Soudas as “an ambitious, strongly assertive individual who does not hesitate to pursue any matter until he is personally satisfied with its resolution.”

Again in 2009, Soudas had to apologize to Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff after giving the prime minister false information. On the advice of Soudas, Harper attacked Ignatieff at the G8 over a quote that was wrongly attributed to the opposition leader.

Soudas is married with three children.