Navdeep Bains is hanging up his hat as Rogers’ chief corporate affairs officer. The move comes as rumours swirl that he’s gearing up for a run at the Ontario Liberal leadership.
According to an internal memo seen by The Globe and Mail, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri told staff on Friday that Bains will officially move on May 8. Staffieri gave Bains a shout-out for his work on policy reform and helping expand the company’s network into rural and Indigenous communities.
Bains joined Rogers back in May 2023 after a short time in investment banking. Before that, he was a fixture in federal politics for 13 years, serving as a heavy hitter in former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Essentially, he spent over five years as the gatekeeper of Canada’s wireless industry. Even though he technically followed the ethics rules by waiting two years before joining Rogers, the move still didn’t sit well with critics who aren’t fans of seeing a former regulator jump straight into a corner office at one of the Big 3.
This exit definitely adds fuel to the fire that Bains is plotting a political comeback. Several Liberal sources told The Globe that both federal and provincial politicians are pushing him to go for the top job in Ontario. The party currently holds third-party status and is set to pick a new leader on November 21.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
