Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland Resigns Amid Clash with Prime Minister Trudeau
Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned, effective immediately, after clashing with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on issues including how to handle possible U.S. tariffs. Freeland’s resignation is a major blow to the already unpopular government and leaves Trudeau without a key ally ahead of the next election.
Freeland had been at odds with Trudeau for weeks over spending and had dismissed his push for increased spending as a “political gimmick” that could hurt Ottawa’s ability to deal with the 25% import tariffs proposed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Her resignation came just hours before she was due to present a fall economic update to parliament, which is expected to show a much larger budget deficit than predicted.
Freeland’s resignation letter was highly critical of Trudeau, saying that he no longer wanted her to serve as Finance Minister and that she no longer had the confidence and authority to hold the position. She described Trudeau’s push for increased spending as a “grasping at straws” and said that she could not in good conscience continue to serve in his government.
The resignation is a major crisis for Trudeau, who is already under pressure from Liberal legislators due to the party’s poor polling numbers. The loss of Freeland, one of his most experienced and respected ministers, is likely to further erode Trudeau’s support within his party and among the public.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called for an immediate election, saying that the government is “spiraling out of control” and that Canada cannot afford to continue without a stable and effective government.