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The Liberal government stood by its new head of the public service Monday after fresh objections arose over remarks he made last year equating a student protest with the actions of “brownshirts and Maoists.”

Michael Wernick was appointed last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be Clerk of the Privy Council. Monday was just his second day on the job.

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In the House of Commons, NDP leader Tom Mulcair demanded Trudeau ask Wernick to “apologize for these totally unacceptable remarks.”

But the prime minister, who appointed Wernick to replace Janice Charette, simply said he was “ very pleased” to see the veteran bureaucrat assuming the new job.

“Mr. Wernick has had a long career in the public service,” Trudeau told MPs. “And we look forward to working with him to renew the professional and non-partisan public service.”

On Monday, the head of a students’ group called on Trudeau to take a close look at the words Wernick used to describe the protesters – and to distance himself from those remarks.