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In an unusual move, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a new Clerk of the Privy Council with a mandate to rebuild Canada’s non-partisan public service and come up with a better process to pick his own permanent replacement as the country’s top bureaucrat.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a terse press release Wednesday announcing that Privy Council Clerk Janice Charette, who did much of the heavy-lifting on the Liberals’ transition into power, will leave the top post on Friday and be replaced by Michael Wernick, her deputy.

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The announcement left many public servants scratching their heads as to why Trudeau replaced Charette with Wernick and asked him to help find his replacement.

It’s unclear how long Wernick will be in the job, but one of his key tasks will be studying how to select the next clerk.

“The Prime Minister has asked Mr. Wernick for advice on a process to fill the position on a permanent basis,” said the press statement.