Brian Topp (born July 4, 1960) is a Canadian political strategist, union leader, and writer and was formerly chief of staff to former Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

[16] Topp then moved west to work with the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party as deputy chief of staff to Premier Roy Romanow from 1993 to 2000.

[17] After the 1999 provincial election he helped to keep a minority NDP government in power by striking a coalition agreement with the Saskatchewan Liberals.

"[21] Alongside fellow NDP colleague Anne McGrath and the party leader's wife Olivia Chow, Topp was one of the few individuals who would help Jack Layton write his final letter to Canadians before he died.

[24] Topp had been criticized by Simon Fraser University professor Doug McArthur of using "a kind of pushy, almost bullying, operation," and noted the similarity to the aggressive tactics that were used by Paul Martin organizers in order to win the leadership of the federal Liberals in 2003.

[26] In the first half of the leadership race, Topp released two policy planks – one regarding his plan to raise taxes and the other on his view of social democracy.

[30] Further policy releases have included his wish to reform some of the party's organizational structure,[31] making protecting the environment a critical part of the nation's economy,[32] protecting the arts in Canada,[33] creating a national child nutrition program and expanding pharmacare coverage,[34] as well as a plan to help support small businesses and guarantee better access to development capital.

[35] Joining Topp at his announcement was Françoise Boivin, MP for Gatineau, and former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, who had endorsed Jack Layton's leadership campaign in 2003.

Dawn Black, former leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, previously endorsed Topp's candidacy for the NDP leadership.

He also received endorsements from former Saskatchewan premiers Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert,[38] former BCNDP leader Carole James,[39] over a dozen British Columbian MLAs[40] and the United Steelworkers labour union.

[46][47] Topp was brought to Canada's West Coast by Adrian Dix, the provincial leader of the Official Opposition, to manage the 2013 election campaign for the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BCNDP).

Despite starting with a significant lead in pre-election polls, the BCNDP campaign failed to prevent the re-election of the BC Liberals under Premier Christy Clark and actually won fewer seats for the party than in 2009.

[49] Topp left the firm to work as Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's Chief of Staff, and was replaced by longtime NDP activist Jamey Heath.

[50] Topp served as executive director of ACTRA Toronto (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) until leaving to manage the 2013 provincial NDP election campaign in British Columbia.

The book details the negotiations that he engaged in with Stéphane Dion, Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton, Dawn Black, Ed Broadbent, Jean Chrétien, Roy Romanow and Allan Blakeney.

[55] Following the election win, he became the chair of Rachel Notley's transition team into government, working alongside other prominent NDP figures such as Anne McGrath.