Stephen Harper has lost another communications director.
Angelo Persichilli, who has held the job only since September, cited heavy workload as the reason for his abrupt resignation.
“This is a prestigious position that requires extremely intense effort and very long hours, which at a certain age, are not an option for a long period of time,” the 63-year-old wrote in a letter circulated to the parliamentary press gallery on Friday.
He is the seventh person to serve as Harper’s director of communications, including six since Harper became prime minister in 2006.
Persichilli called the opportunity to work for Harper an honour and says he’ll stay on until a successor is hired.
Born in Castellino, Italy, Persichilli emigrated to Canada in 1975. He was involved in multicultural broadcasting in Toronto, reaching the post of vice president at CFMT, now called Omni.
The choice to hire a former journalist for the post was a departure for Harper, who had previously picked his communication chiefs from party ranks. The decision was seen as part of the Conservative government’s efforts to strengthen its outreach to ethnic communities.
But his appointment drew immediate criticism because he didn’t speak French. He also came under fire for a column he’d previously written in the Toronto Star about Quebec’s “annoying lament” over its treatment by the rest of Canada.
Persichilli had pledged to learn French as part of his job, though he remained entirely behind the scenes in the months he worked for the prime minister.
Jim Armour, who stepped down as Harper’s communications chief before the Conservative government took office, joked about the rapid turnover on Twitter, writing: “I guess I’d better look in a 15-passenger van for the Former Harper DComm Club.”
