Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Monday morning that she is resigning from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, hours before the federal government is expected to deliver the fall economic statement.
“On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet,” Freeland wrote in a letter addressed to Trudeau that was posted on her social media account.
“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet,” Freeland added.
It’s not clear what Freeland’s resignation will mean for the federal government’s fall economic statement, which is expected to be delivered later today.
See my letter to the Prime Minister below // Veuillez trouver ma lettre au Premier ministre ci-dessous <a href=”https://t.co/NMMMcXUh7A”>pic.twitter.com/NMMMcXUh7A</a>
—@cafreeland
A senior federal government source told CBC News that Freeland’s announcement was not expected today. It’s not clear who will present the fall economic statement.
In her letter, Freeland said that Canada “faces a grave challenge” and referenced U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose a punishing 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods.
“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.”
Freeland did not specify in her letter what “costly political gimmicks” means.
More to come.