PHAC president steps down

Namiesniowski explained that she needed to “take a break” and that she felt that she must “step aside so someone else can step up” for PHAC. (File photo: @sebastiaanstam/Unsplash)

Amid the ongoing fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) decided to step down from her post.

According to her letter to staff obtained by the media, Tina Namiesniowski, who has been heading the agency since May 2019, said it was a “very difficult decision” for her to leave, but she believes that it is the “right” thing for her do.

Namiesniowski explained that she needed to “take a break” and that she felt that she must “step aside so someone else can step up” for PHAC.

“You really need someone who will have the energy and the stamina to take the agency and our response to the next level,” she wrote.

“Even though I might not have accomplished everything I would have liked to have done, I truly hope the foundation for change I’ve championed through our work on PHAC of the future will help serve as a road map moving forward,” she continued.

Prior to being the head of PHAC, Namiesniowski also served as the executive vice president of the Canada Border Services Agency and was the assistant deputy minister at Agriculture Canada and Public Safety Canada, among other posts she held since joining the federal government in 1989 according to her profile in the Government of Canada’s website.

In a statement, Health Minister Patty Hajdu recognized Namiesniowski’s hard work, saying that the latter has “shown unwavering commitment and incredible service to our country and to all Canadians.”

“I have seen first hand the countless hours that Tina has spent away from her family to protect Canadians,” Hajdu wrote, thanking Namiesniowski and wishing her all the best in her next steps.

Hajdu said Namiesniowski’s successor will be named “in the coming days.”

Tina Namiesniowski has shown unwavering commitment and incredible service to our country and to all Canadians. She has led a committed team of public servants who have been working flat out for months. /3

— Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) September 18, 2020