Chrystia Freeland, Justin Trudeau’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, resigned from Canada’s cabinet on Monday, citing disagreements over how to address President Trump’s America First economic policies.
Freeland’s resignation, announced in a letter shared on her X account shortly before delivering a fiscal update to Parliament, marks a significant blow to Trudeau’s embattled government. His approval ratings have plunged over the past year, with polls predicting a severe defeat for his Liberal Party if federal elections were held today.
Freeland revealed that Trudeau informed her she would no longer serve as finance minister and offered her another cabinet role. “Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet,” she wrote. “To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. You made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence.”
Freeland, a former journalist who became foreign minister in 2017 to help prepare for Trump’s first presidency, said she and Trudeau had clashed over how to address the “grave challenge” posed by Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who left Trudeau’s cabinet in 2019 after her own conflict with the prime minister, wrote, “When the general is losing his most loyal soldiers on the eve of a [tariff] war, the country desperately needs a new general.”
Freeland’s exit comes amid growing turmoil in Trudeau’s government, with multiple cabinet ministers announcing they won’t seek re-election. Housing Minister Sean Fraser also resigned Monday, further amplifying the instability.
Freeland, nicknamed the “Minister of Everything” for her extensive responsibilities, has long been viewed as one of Trudeau’s most influential allies and potential successors. She played a pivotal role in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement during Trump’s first term.
