November 24, 2024

Chrystia Freeland will replace Morneau to become first female finance minister

Chrystia Freeland #ChrystiaFreeland

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is taking on a major new role: finance minister.

Sources say she will take over the massive finance portfolio following the resignation Monday night of Bill Morneau after reports of a rift between him and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the best course forward on the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

READ MORE: Morneau leaves Ottawa with mixed record as politician, finance minister

Morneau had been under fire over his role in the WE Charity scandal, particularly his failure to recuse himself from cabinet discussions on the group given his family financial ties.

Both Morneau and Trudeau are now under investigation by the ethics commissioner over accusations of conflict of interest in that controversy, which emerged after the government granted administration of what was originally billed as a $912-million student service grant to WE Charity.

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READ MORE: Trudeau, Morneau clashing over green initiatives and coronavirus spending: sources

Freeland has risen over the last five years from minister of international trade to minister of foreign affairs, minister of intergovernmental affairs and deputy prime minister, making her one of the most powerful and trusted members of Trudeau’s team.

This new role places her yet again at the very centre of a high-profile, high-pressure national conversation around the best way to move forward as the country continues to grapple with the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and a deficit currently pegged at $343 billion.

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Chrystia Freeland appointed deputy prime minister and minister in charge of Canadian unity

As part of the mini-shuffle, veteran Liberal Dominic LeBlanc will take over Freeland’s previous portfolio as minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs.

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LeBlanc had previously held the post as intergovernmental affairs minister before stepping back in early 2019 to seek treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

He received stem cell treatment last fall and was sworn in as president of the Queen’s Privy Council at Rideau Hall in December 2019, a role that put him in charge of overseeing the Privy Council Office.

That’s the branch of bureaucracy tasked with supporting the operations of the Prime Minister’s Office.

More to come.

The timeline of Trudeau’s WE Charity controversy

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