Chrystia Freeland stepped down as Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister on Monday, dealing a severe blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's already faltering leadership.
Ms Freeland, one of Trudeau's most trusted allies, revealed the decision came after a disagreement with the Prime Minister over how to respond to US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff threats. In her resignation letter, she said she and Trudeau were “at odds about the best path forward for Canada” and criticised Trump's “aggressive economic nationalism.”
Her resignation came just hours before she was scheduled to provide an annual fiscal update in parliament, and it also followed the release of a C$60 billion deficit report.
Who is Chrystia Freeland?
- Chrystia Freeland was born in Peace River, Alberta. She studied at Harvard University and the University of Oxford through a Rhodes Scholarship. She now lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.
- Ms Freeland was the first female Minister of Finance of Canada. She was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in November 2019.
- She was first elected as a Member of Parliament For Toronto Centre in 2013. She was elected MP for University – Rosedale in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
- Ms Freeland served as Minister of International Trade (2015-2017), overseeing the negotiation of free trade with the European Union. She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017-2019), leading the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
- She was named Foreign Policy's Diplomat of the Year in 2018 and awarded the Eric M. Warburg Award by Atlantik-Brucke for strengthening transatlantic ties. She also received the Mark Palmer Prize from Freedom House in 2020 for championing democracy and human rights.
After her resignation, Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as her replacement as Finance Minister.
