Could Chrystia Freeland be Canada’s next prime minister?
CNNCNN — After nearly a decade in power, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally bowed to a chorus of criticism that had become too loud to ignore, announcing his resignation on Monday. In December, then-Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland had sharply rebuked what she described as Trudeau’s pursuit of “costly political gimmicks,” referring to recent policy proposals including a two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar rebates for most workers. Canada’s opposition politicians also appear to see Freeland as a possible successor; a video shared by Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre last week heavily focused on Freeland alongside Trudeau in its depiction of the “wackos” in the government. The ‘minister of everything’ Freeland, a longstanding figure of the Liberal Party, has held a range of positions in the Canadian government, emerging as a magnet for international attention and earning the occasional moniker in local press as “minister of everything.” “Freeland had probably the highest profile of any cabinet minister beyond the prime minister,” Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, told CNN. But Freeland has hinted at potentially cutting back on immigration; in an interview with the CBC in the wake of Trump’s reelection, Freeland said that new migrants must arrive in Canada in an “organized, systematic way.” Whoever wins the leadership of the Liberal Party faces an uphill battle and will likely need to lead the charge to remake the party, suggest polls and analysts.