In 2019 she was named deputy prime minister, and in 2020 she also took on the role of finance minister. She left both those roles Monday
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In an unexpected move, Chrystia Freeland resigned her cabinet position as finance minister on Monday morning, even as she was set to deliver the Liberal government’s fall economic update later in the day. Here’s what to know.
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Who is Chrystia Freeland?
Born Christina Alexandra Freeland in Peace River, Alberta, in 1968, Freeland has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s in Slavonic studies from the University of Oxford. A former journalist who has held editorial positions at the Financial Times, The Globe and Mail and Reuters, she left journalism in 2013 to enter politics.
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Canadians want to know: Why does Chrystia Freeland have notes written on her hand?
She won the riding of Toronto Centre that year as a Liberal, and in 2015 newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose her as minister of international trade in his first Cabinet.
In 2019 she was named deputy prime minister, a cabinet position created by then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1977, and which had been vacant since 2006. In 2020 she also took on the role of finance minister. She left both those roles on Monday.
Why did she resign?
In her resignation letter, Freeland said the prime minister had told her Friday that he was planning to move her out of the finance portfolio, but offered her a different, unspecified cabinet position.
Instead, she decided “the only honest and viable path for me is to resign from cabinet,” adding: “To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it.”
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Didn’t Trudeau try to replace her earlier?
Trudeau has on several occasions courted former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to join the government, but without saying whether he wanted him to replace Chrystia Freeland as finance minister.
In September, Carney became a special advisor and chair of a government’s task force on economic growth.
What does this mean for the Trudeau government?
News that Freeland was quitting came as Housing Minister Sean Fraser was holding a press conference to announce that he was leaving cabinet and politics to spend time with his family. The unexpected departure of two ministers, one of them the deputy prime minister, leaves the government with the task of appointing new people to those roles as quickly as possible.
The move also further shakes an already shaky, unpopular government. The Liberals must call an election before next October, but withdrawal of support from the NDP could force an election even sooner. And whenever it happens, the next federal election could see the Liberal party consigned to its worst-ever showing. Some projections even have Trudeau losing his own Montreal riding of Papineau.
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What about my “working Canadians” cheque?
Freeland and Trudeau had reportedly butted heads over the $250 cheques promised to Canadians, and sources told the National Post recently it would not be part of the fall economic update.
Does this mean Freeland is finished with politics?
Not necessarily. With her background in journalism and academia, she could presumably pivot to one of those worlds.
Besides, in her resignation letter she concluded: “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues as a Liberal Member of Parliament, and I am committed to running again for my seat in the next federal election.”
What happens next?
It was unclear in the immediate aftermath of Freeland’s resignation whether the government could table its economic document. According to orders in council, if Freeland were unable to perform her duties, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne could step in. After some back and forth, the government indicated the document would be tabled at 4 p.m. Monday as originally planned.
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