Chrystia Freeland has resigned her cabinet position as Finance Minister, but will continue to serve as an MP for her Toronto constituency.
Freeland made the announcement earlier today and released the letter of resignation she had sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and you offered me another position in the Cabinet,” she wrote. “Upon reflection I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet.”
Freeland goes on to say that she and the Prime Minister have been “at odds about the best path forward for Canada” over the past few weeks, and cites the incoming U.S. President, Donald Trump’s, threat of a 25 per cent tariff as a “grave challenge.”
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“We need to take that threat extremely seriously. That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war,” Freeland wrote. “That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment.”
In addition, Freeland wrote about “pushing back against ‘America First’ economic nationalism,” and working together with Canadian premiers to build a “true Team Canada response.”
Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders met with Trudeau this past weekend in Mississauga. The looming threat of U.S. tariffs was a key topic of discussion.
“I will always be grateful for the chance to have served in government, and I will always be proud of our government’s work for Canada and Canadians,” Freeland concluded.
