​Canada Announces Successor to Top Bureaucrat Position as Wernick Steps Down April 19​

Canada's Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick arrives to testify before the House of Commons justice committee on Parliament Hill on March 6, 2019 Dave Chan/Getty Images

OTTAWA—Michael Wernick will officially step down as the country’s top bureaucrat in April, one month after he announced his planned resignation stemming from the SNC-Lavalin affair.

The federal government announced Friday that Ian Shugart will take over as clerk of the Privy Council on April 19, which also marks the last day of Wernick’s nearly 38-year career in the public service.