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Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili will soon be taking political advice from a veteran of Rachel Notley’s Alberta NDP government.

Adrienne King has been appointed Meili’s chief of staff effective August 1, the party announced Friday. She will replace Olin Valby, a longtime Meili confidant who for personal reasons abruptly left the role last week after less than one year.

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King spent eight years working for the NDP Alberta caucus and government, first under Brian Mason and later under Notley. She was chief of staff when the party won power in 2015, after which she served as deputy chief of staff to the premier.

“I’ve worked for great Opposition leaders before and helped them build the team capable of forming government,” King said in a statement.

King later tweeted that she “enthusiastically” accepted the role, calling Meili “a leader with so much to offer the people of Saskatchewan.”

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A party leader’s chief of staff is typically his or her most senior aide, a trusted adviser who handles not only staffing and general political operations but also serves as a gatekeeper for the leader.