Deputy Ministers

Michael Vandergrift was appointed Deputy Minister of Transport Canada in March of 2026.

Prior to his appointment, Michael served as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada since July 2023.

Prior to this, he worked at the Privy Council Office from 2021-2023 as the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations). From November 2017 to August 2021, Michael was Associate Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Previously, he held senior executive positions with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Privy Council Office and Health Canada.

Michael holds a Master of Science degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Alberta. He holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Michael was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and he remains a passionate fan of the Edmonton Oilers.

Brigitte Diogo was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Transport Canada, effective May 6, 2024. Prior to this, she served as Deputy Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency starting in April 2022.

From 2020 to 2022, Brigitte was Vice-President, Health Security and Regional Operations, at the Public Health Agency of Canada during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She led the multidisciplinary and interdepartmental efforts on the development and implementation of Canada’s emergency border measures to reduce the risk of importation and transmission of COVID-19 due to international travel.

As Director General of Rail Safety at Transport Canada from 2015 to 2020, Brigitte was responsible for overseeing safety requirements for federally regulated railway companies including compliance monitoring and enforcement. In this role, she led significant legislative and regulatory changes to improve rail safety regime in Canada.

From 2008 to 2014, Brigitte worked at the Privy Council Office on economic and regional development policy as well as on national security and intelligence. Brigitte started her career at Citizenship and Immigration Canada where she worked on international migration policies and on requirements for admission to Canada including visa policy.

Brigitte graduated from the University of Ottawa in economics, public administration, and political science. She also holds a Masters Certificate in Operational Risk Management from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University.