Freeland confirms she is running for Liberal leader
Photo: Candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada Chrystia Freeland (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Former Canadian Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has officially announced her intention to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party. If she wins, she will automatically replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, according to Freeland's post on Twitter (X).
She published a brief statement saying she is "running to fight for Canada."
"Official launch Sunday," she noted.
She also added, "At a time when President Donald Trump is threatening our country, it’s time to fight for Canada."
Who is Chrystia Freeland
Chrystia Freeland has Ukrainian roots. Her mother, Halyna Khomiak, was born in a refugee camp after World War II, and her grandfather, Mykhailo Khomiak, was a journalist and political emigrant. Her father, Donald Freeland, was a lawyer and a member of Canada’s Liberal Party.
Freeland began her journalism career in Ukraine, working for the Financial Times, The Washington Post, and The Economist. From 1999 to 2001, she was the deputy editor of Canada’s Globe and Mail, later becoming the US managing director of Financial Times. In 2010, she took the role of editor at Thomson Reuters.
In 2013, Freeland transitioned into politics, winning a seat in Canada’s Parliament with the Liberal Party. In November 2015, she became Canada’s Minister of International Trade, and in 2017, she was appointed Foreign Minister. By 2019, she became Deputy Prime Minister under Justin Trudeau and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. A year later, she was appointed Minister of Finance.
On December 16, Freeland resigned due to disagreements with Trudeau’s policies amid the looming threat of a trade war from the new US administration under President Donald Trump.
This resignation highlighted Trudeau’s declining support within the Liberal Party. Subsequently, in early January, Trudeau announced his resignation as party leader but will remain Prime Minister until a new leader is elected.
For more on Canada’s political landscape, read the material Change of power in Canada: Who will succeed Trudeau and what it means for Ukraine.
