Chrystia Freeland left cabinet in September to take on a newly created role as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine.Nayan Sthankiya/Reuters
Former Liberal cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland is stepping down from her role as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s special representative for reconstruction of Ukraine.
Ms. Freeland said she is leaving in light of her appointment as an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he personally announced earlier Monday.
She also said she’ll be resigning as a member of Parliament in the “coming weeks.”
“Ukraine is at the forefront of today’s global fight for democracy, and I welcome this chance to contribute on an unpaid basis as an economic advisor to President Zelensky,” she wrote on social media late Monday afternoon.
Her comments made no mention of a day’s worth of criticism from Conservative MPs that the new role placed her in a conflict of interest, and that she should resign entirely as an MP.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also didn’t mention the issue as he thanked Ms. Freeland for her work and wished her well.
“You are uniquely qualified for this important new role,” he said in a statement.
“It is a further credit to Canada’s steadfast support for Ukraine that a Canadian is taking on this role at this crucial moment for Ukraine’s future.”
Mr. Zelensky announced her appointment on the cusp of a major gathering in Paris of world leaders trying to secure a negotiated peace for Ukraine and Russia.
Ms. Freeland will contribute needed expertise as an adviser on economic development, Mr. Zelensky said.
“Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations,” he wrote on social media.
“Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience – both for the sake of Ukraine’s recovery, if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defence if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end.”
Mr. Carney will be at the meetings.
He and Mr. Zelensky met in Halifax on Dec. 27 where Canada announced an additional $2.5-billion in support for the country, most of which was in the form of loan guarantees.
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A source close to Ms. Freeland told The Globe and Mail that she was offered the job by Mr. Zelensky on Dec. 22, and she told Mr. Carney about it on Dec. 24.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source as they were not authorized to disclose Ms. Freeland’s private discussions.
Ms. Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, has long been one of the country’s most ardent defenders in its fight against Russia.
The new role will see her bring together an international council of advisers on the reconstruction of Ukraine, the source said.
Conservative MPs said she should not have accepted the post.
“One cannot be a Canadian MP and an adviser to a foreign government. She must do one or the other,” Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said on social media earlier Monday. “She should resign as adviser or as MP for University-Rosedale.”
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas said Ms. Freeland can’t be given a pass for supporting an ally.
“No matter the ally, this is a clear conflict of interest,” she said.
“Canadians elected her to represent them in Parliament, not to work for a foreign government. Chrystia Freeland must resign immediately.”
Ms. Freeland was first elected in 2015, and served in numerous cabinet jobs under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She quit as deputy prime minister and finance minister in December, 2024 over a disagreement with Mr. Trudeau.
After he announced his intention to resign, she ran in the contest to replace him but lost to Mr. Carney.
He brought her back into cabinet as transport and internal trade minister, a position she left in September for the newly created role as Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
When she took up that position, she also said she wouldn’t run in the next election, though would remain an MP.
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She has, however, been expected to step down for some time.
But, the Carney Liberals are currently one seat short of a majority government and her resignation would make it harder for them to get bills through the House of Commons.
As an MP, Ms. Freeland must abide by a conflict of interest code. And, since her role as special representative is a parliamentary secretary position, her dealings are covered by the Conflict of Interest Act.
Conservative MP Dan Albas, who was a parliamentary secretary in a past government, said he doesn’t understand how she was able to accept the role with Mr. Zelensky.
“Doesn’t the Conflict of Interest Act prohibit outside positions that create real or perceived conflicts? Canadians deserve clarity on how this is compliant,” he said.
The source close to Ms. Freeland said she had been in touch with the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
The role is unpaid and not full-time, the source said.
The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner declined to discuss their conversations with Ms. Freeland.
“Because of confidentiality restrictions, we can’t talk about the individual situations of elected and appointed officials,” spokesperson Margot Booth said in an e-mail.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, said he believes Ms. Freeland is in a conflict of interest.
The code for MPs states they cannot “improperly further another person’s or entity’s private interests” while the law covering Ms. Freeland in her role as a parliamentary secretary includes similar prohibitions and bars taking outside work.
Mr. Conacher said in his opinion the “entity” of the government of Ukraine will be assisted by her advice, and Ms. Freeland should have resigned as an MP before agreeing to take the role.
“If the Ethics Commissioner rolls over and rubber stamps this as legal, it will not only open a huge loophole in the ethics law but will also show yet again how much of a lapdog the commissioner is, mainly because he was handpicked in secret by the Trudeau Cabinet,” Mr. Conacher said.
In her statement, Ms. Freeland did not mention another upcoming job.
In November, the Rhodes Trust announced it had hired her to be chief executive officer. That job is set to start on July 1.
The Oxford-based organization administers one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scholarships.