Monday December 16, 2024 | NATIONAL NEWS [Posted at 7:38 am Pacific | Updated at 2:22 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Long-serving Liberal member of parliament Chrystia Freeland has resigned from the federal cabinet.
This comes just hours ahead of being scheduled to deliver the government’s fall economic statement that is coming late-in-the-season at mid-December.
Freeland has posted in a statement online that she feels she has lost the confidence of the prime minister.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly told Freeland on Friday December 13 that she would no longer be finance minister. She was offered another position in cabinet, which she has declined.
This news comes as the Liberal prime minister and his party continue to struggle in the polls. This is also in the shadow of concerns about Freeland’s role and/or ability to lead the so-called ‘Team Canada’ response to the looming threat of tariffs by the United States president-elect.
Freeland still intends to run in her downtown Toronto riding of University-Rosedale in the next election, she has stated today.
Different directions on finance:
Freeland says she has found she and the prime minister ‘at odds’ over Trudeau-led financial promises to Canadians that would further deepen the national debt beyond the previously stated red line of $40 billion.
Freeland is concerned about the serious threat of “aggressive economic nationalism” from the United States.
As of about 3 pm Eastern (12 noon Pacific), Dominic LeBlanc has been designated (by the Prime Minister) as Finance Minister; the swearing-in of Leblanc to this role is scheduled at Rideau Hall for 4 pm Eastern / 1 pm Pacific).
The Fall Economic Statement is about to be read in the House (at 5 pm Eastern / 2 pm Pacific). Now Liberal House Leader Karina Gould will deliver that statement.
Upcoming cabinet shuffle:
Trudeau is expected to announce a cabinet shuffle this week. This comes just weeks ahead of Trump being sworn in as US President with his threats of imposing 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports to the US.
Also stepping back from cabinet today is Sean Fraser, who has most recently (since July 2023) served as housing, infrastructure and communities, after serving in the Trudeau caucus since 2015. Fraser apparently learned of Freeland’s resignation part-way through delivering his own resignation on live national TV this morning.
A cabinet swearing-in has been called for 4 pm Eastern today (1 pm Pacific) — UPDATE: Dominic LeBlanc has been sworn-in as the new Finance Minister.
Opposition response:
Today Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has repeated his call for a ‘carbon tax election’.
Today NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has called for Trudeau’s resignation.
Continued Carney chatter:
Chatter about Mark Carney possible being brought into the federal cabinet as an unelected finance minister may have been part of the tensions of the current situation for finance minister Freeland and the prime minister.
Carney is a banker, with less political instinct than might be needed in a sustained Trudeau government not to mention his conservative approach to finance (which seems at odds wit the Trudeau way).
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