[1] Kirby returned to public service in the 1980s as Secretary to the Canadian Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations and Deputy Clerk of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.
He was elevated to the Canadian Senate by Pierre Trudeau in January 1984 weeks before the prime minister announced his intention to retire.
He remained active in the private sector serving as vice-president of Goldfarb Consultants from 1984 to 1994 at a period when the polling firm was often employed by the Liberal Party of Canada.
Kirby also served as a backroom advisor to the Liberals and frequently appeared on television as a political pundit during the 1980s and 1990s.
Kirby was criticised for having a conflict of interest in his role in writing the report due to his service on the boards of directors of various private health care companies.