Freeland to resign from cabinet, take on Ukraine envoy role

Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland will be stepping down from her Cabinet role and announced she will not seek re-election.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland will be stepping down from her Cabinet role and announced she will not seek re-election. Instead, Freeland will be taking up a position as a special representative for Ukraine while still an MP.

“With tremendous gratitude and a little sadness, I have decided to step down from Cabinet today and turn the page on this chapter in my life. I do not intend to run in the next federal election,” Freeland wrote in an open letter to Canadians dated Sept. 16.

According to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Freeland will now serve as Canada’s new Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. Freeland’s departure marks the first major resignation faced by Carney’s government since being elected earlier this year.

Freeland expressed appreciation to both Carney and former prime minister Justin Trudeau “for the privilege of serving in their cabinets over the past decade.”

She used the letter to reflect on accomplishments during her years in federal politics, from trade deals to pandemic management.

“We signed a trade deal with Europe, we renegotiated NAFTA, and we got tariffs on steel and aluminum lifted,” she wrote.

“We saved lives, protected workers and businesses, and got through a pandemic while maintaining Canada’s essential Triple-A credit rating and the lowest debt and deficit in the G7.”

Freeland praised Carney, calling him “a unifier in a time of crisis,” and said she has “absolute confidence in his ability to lead us through it.”

Carney reacted to her resignation letter on X, expressing gratitude to Feeland.

“Thank you, Chrystia, for your dedication, many contributions to Canada, friendship, and continued partnership,” he said.

She added that “a great strength of democracy is that no one holds political office in perpetuity,” and after twelve years in public life, “now is the right time for me to make way for others and to seek fresh challenges for myself.”

Carney became prime minister six months ago after winning the Liberal leadership following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.

Her own resignation as finance minister in December last year dealt the final blow to Trudeau’s leadership and helped clear the way for Carney.

During the Liberal leadership race in March, which she initially intended to win, Freeland declared her own ambitions and even envisioned appointing Carney to her cabinet.

She is believed to be in line for a senior diplomatic or economic post tied to Ukraine.

Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, travelled to Ukraine late last week to take part in a conference titled “How to End the War?” where she moderated a panel on reforms and the fight against corruption.

One source suggested that rather than appointing a new minister, Carney will reassign Freeland’s transport and internal trade responsibilities among his cabinet members.

Carney, who became prime minister six months ago after winning the Liberal leadership following Justin Trudeau’s resignation, is meeting with his cabinet Tuesday morning.

The announcement of Freeland’s departure is scheduled for the afternoon.

Freeland was a central figure in Trudeau’s government and played a pivotal role in the political upheaval that led to his resignation.

Her own resignation as finance minister in December last year dealt the final blow to Trudeau’s leadership and helped clear the way for Carney.

During the Liberal leadership race in March, which she initially intended to win, Freeland declared her own ambitions and even envisioned appointing Carney to her cabinet.