Counsel Public Affairs is pleased to announce that T.J. Keil has joined our Western Canada practice. T.J. joins Counsel as Associate Vice President, Western Canada as Amber Ruddy begins her maternity leave in the spring. Counsel is thrilled to welcome T.J. to the team, not only to continue fostering Amber’s work and relationships with clients, but to bring his own unique expertise to the practice.
T.J. is a seasoned government and public relations professional with over a decade of experience delivering for clients and making connections both federally and provincially.
“TJ is an outstanding addition to Counsel’s Western Canada team,” said Brad Lavigne, Partner and Vice President, Western Canada. “He is a GR pro who has worked both sides of government relations. He has years of experience listening to advocates from inside government, as well as advocating on behalf of groups to government.”
Recently, T.J. served as Chief of Staff to Alberta’s Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction. He played a vital role in a key government commitment to reduce regulatory burden that saw Alberta’s Red Tape grade go from an ‘F’ to an ‘A’ with the Canadian Federation for Independent Business.
Prior to working in government, T.J. advocated for numerous industries, associations, and groups, including the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association – Alberta and the Alberta Real Estate Association.
T.J. ran for office provincially in 2008 and has been involved in various election campaigns. In addition to his current role with Counsel Public Relations, T.J. contributes to the Montreal Economic Institute as a Senior Fellow.
“T.J. is a problem-solver who will help our clients in Alberta succeed as we approach the one-year mark to the next provincial election in spring 2023,” added Brad Lavigne.
Established in 2004, Counsel has grown to become a national firm, with a team of 27 consultants in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa.
Counsel provides a full suite of services in national and provincial government relations and public affairs, including lobbying, crisis communications, strategic communications, media training, “PR4GR” campaigns and public opinion research.