Following the completion of the commission in 2005, McLaughlin was made a deputy minister in the Executive Council Office with no particular policy role but was instead given to the Council of the Federation on loan to oversee their study of the fiscal imbalance.
In 2006, he was named chief of staff to federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty in the new Conservative Party of Canada government.
Travel Expenses report In 2017 in Manitoba, McLaughlin acted as "temporary director of communications and stakeholder relations" as well as "climate change advisor" for the office of Conservative Premier Brian Pallister.
Controversy arose after it became public that along with his annual salary of $133,375, McLaughlin had claimed nearly $60,000 in travel expenses, mainly for hotels in Winnipeg and for flights to and from Ottawa.
Although McLaughlin listed the expenses as being for "climate change project/meetings," or "communications and stakeholder relations," Premier Pallister, while describing McLaughlin as "a respected international expert on climate change [and] sustainable development," said the expenses were paid "to help [McLaughlin] maintain touch with his two children and his wife.