strategy". Butts had previously worked with Senator Allan MacEachen and with George Smitherman. Butts advised the campaigns that led to the Ontario Liberal Party's election victories in 2003 and 2007. On June 25, 2008, Butts was announced as the president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. He officially took up the position on September 2, 2008, succeeding Mike Russill. On October 16, 2012, Butts left WWF Canada to become the political advisor to Justin Trudeau. His position at WWF Canada was filled by David Miller, a former mayor of Toronto. On December 13, 2012, Butts was interviewed by Steve Paikin for The Agenda on the topic of "The Best Way to Clean Up the Environment". Butts has published articles in the Boston Book Review, the Literary Review of Canada, and Gravitas. He has also appeared on television programs such as W5 and TSN's Off the Record. 2015 Canadian election and premiership of Justin Trudeau In 2012, stemming from a two-decade-long friendship, Butts became the senior political adviser to Justin Trudeau and one of the few people with whom Trudeau consulted regularly. During Trudeau's initial time as Liberal Party leader. He also assisted on the vast majority of policies on which Trudeau campaigned. He was appointed Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister on November 4, 2015. On February 18, 2019, Butts stepped down as Trudeau's principal secretary and stated that it was to defend himself from allegations made against him in relation to the SNC-Lavalin affair and to avoid drawing attention away from the prime minister's work. In a statement released on Twitter, Butts denied influencing the Attorney General and noted that he specifically recruited Jody Wilson-Raybould to join the Liberal Party of Canada and was an avid supporter during both her candidacy and her tenure as a minister. Butts reiterated these claims in testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on March 6, 2019. At the time of Butts' resignation, Trudeau had responded by thanking him for his service, while acknowledging the integrity, guidance, and devotion that Butts had provided him. In July 2019, Prime Minister Trudeau hired Butts back to play a key role in the Liberal 2019 election campaign. Personal life Butts is the nephew of the former Canadian senator Mary Alice "Peggy" Butts, whom he cites as a major influence on him. He is married to Jodi (Heimpel) Butts, a lawyer, and they have two children,