Liberal MP dismisses speculation about Freeland’s political future

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OTTAWA — A Toronto Liberal MP dismissed the ongoing chatter about Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s political future as “whispers in the shadows” and compared it to sports commentators looking to fill airtime during the off-season.

James Maloney, a former Ontario Liberal caucus chair, came to Freeland’s defence on Monday during a housing announcement.

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“We’re standing in Toronto. We’re in a hockey town. It’s the off-season. So, what do people do? They spend all their time speculating on whether John Tavares or Auston Matthews should be the No. 1 centre. The focus we have is on the team,” he said.

“I can tell you — I talk to my caucus colleagues every single day — and we have complete confidence in Chrystia Freeland as the finance minister,” he added.

Freeland was being asked about a recent report from the Toronto Star citing anonymous Liberal MPs who said they would want to see a cabinet shuffle before the Parliament returns in the fall, with several saying that Freeland should be shuffled out of finance.

One of them said “Freeland should definitely get moved” whereas another said they were surprised her name was coming up, calling her “very capable” despite some “mistakes.”

Shortly after, a spokesperson for Freeland said several MPs would be willing to defend her. Maloney was one of them.

“These whispers in the shadows — and that’s what they are — take them for what they’re worth. It’s like listening to talk radio, sports radio. You’ve got all kinds of interesting ideas, but look, we are a team as a caucus,” he told reporters on Monday.

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“You know what that means? It means we talk to each other, we work together, we throw around ideas.”

Maloney said the Liberal caucus is “unequivocally” united behind Freeland and seemed to dare his anonymous colleagues to repeat their comments with their identities revealed.

“Chrystia Freeland has done a great job, and there isn’t a single person in my caucus who would say anything to the contrary,” he said.

When asked about the Star’s report on Monday, Freeland said she takes the point of view of her caucus colleagues “really, really seriously” while reverting to the government’s policies which she said “need to be based on conversations within caucus.”

“For me, my focus is on working hard to deliver for Canadians every single day,” she said.

Freeland announced that a 30-year mortgage amortization, which she announced in her last budget, would be offered by lenders as of August 1. She also reiterated her government’s promises on child care, dental care, and investments in research.

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“So, that’s where my focus is. It’s on Canada and Canadians and working hard with all my caucus colleagues to deliver that,” she said.

Freeland’s political future has been in the spotlight since the Globe and Mail reported earlier this month that the prime minister’s staff was unhappy with some of her economic messaging while the party is reeling from its byelection defeat in a safe Toronto riding.

Since then, Freeland has refused to say if she received assurances from Justin Trudeau himself that she would be staying on in her current role, instead insisting that she has the “confidence” she needs to do her job effectively.

She repeated that line on Monday. “I feel I have the support I need to do my job and to focus on what my job is, which is delivering for Canada and Canadians,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s political has also been the subject of intense speculation especially since the by-election defeat, although New Brunswick Liberal MP Wayne Long has been the only sitting member of the caucus to publicly call for his resignation.

Trudeau has often insisted that he is staying on as prime minister until the next election.

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But it remains to be seen if he will proceed with any major changes in his cabinet or his team in the next few weeks. He said he has been trying to recruit former central banker Mark Carney for years to join his team, without success.

Until now, this summer, there has been only a one-person cabinet shuffle to replace Newfoundland MP Seamus O’Regan, who announced he will not be running again, by Quebec MP Steven MacKinnon as minister for labour and seniors.

The change came just as MacKinnon was ending his six-month replacement as government House leader during Karina Gould’s maternity leave.

National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com

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