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 on X 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 the day’s worth of calls from Conservative MPs that she should have resigned as an MP before accepting the role with Mr. Zelensky because it placed her in a conflict of interest.
Mr. 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 Ms. Freeland’s appointment on the cusp of a major gathering in Paris of world leaders trying to secure a negotiated peace for Ukraine and Russia. She 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.”
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A source close to Ms. Freeland told The Globe and Mail she was offered the job by Mr. Zelensky on Dec. 22, and she told Mr. Carney about it on Dec. 24. The source said she is expected to step down from her special representative role by the end of January.
The Globe is not identifying the source, as they were not authorized to disclose Ms. Freeland’s private discussions.
Ms. Freeland, whose mother was Ukrainian, has long been one of the country’s most ardent defenders in its fight against Russia, work that began when she was a student in Ukraine decades ago.
The new role, which is part-time, 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 2013 and served in numerous cabinet jobs under then-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 as Liberal Party leader 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 said she wouldn’t run in the next election, though she would remain an MP.
She has, however, been expected to step down well before the next campaign.
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Ms. Freeland’s resignation will trigger a by-election. While her riding is a safe Liberal seat, the Carney government is one seat short of a majority, and a vacancy in the House of Commons could make it more difficult to win votes until the seat is filled.
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 commissioner’s office declined to discuss the 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, a non-partisan organization that advocates for democratic reform, 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.
Ms. Freeland is expected to take up another new role later this year.
In November, the Rhodes Trust announced it had hired Ms. Freeland to be its chief executive officer. The Oxford-based organization administers one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scholarships.
Her job with the Rhodes Trust is set to start on July 1.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the date Chrystia Freeland was first elected.