Liberals defend Freeland as Trudeau’s feminist reputation questioned

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OTTAWA — With Chrystia Freeland out as finance minister, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reputation as a self-described feminist is taking a hit.

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Trudeau has been largely out of public view grappling with the fallout from Freeland’s bombshell decision to resign from his cabinet the same day she was set to present the Liberals’ fall fiscal update on Monday, saying she was doing so after the prime minister told her last Friday that he no longer wanted her in the role.

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A Liberal source says Trudeau informed Freeland of his decision in a Zoom call last Friday morning, offering her to become the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. relations, which is not a standalone ministry and does not have a budget. The source said a cabinet shuffle was supposed to happen by Wednesday.

In a scathing resignation letter posted to the social media platform X, the Toronto MP, who had been a loyal supporter of Trudeau’s, said they had for weeks found themselves disagreeing over how best to manage the country’s finances and brace for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs, criticizing his decision to pursue “costly political gimmicks.”

While Trudeau found himself at odds with Freeland’s predecessor, Bill Morneau, over COVID-19 pandemic spending, Freeland’s departure is being viewed by some former colleagues-turned-critics as another knock against his reputation as a feminist prime minister.

Former environment and infrastructure minister Catherine McKenna posted to the platform Bluesky that she wasn’t sure “the (prime minister) gets to call himself a feminist,” saying “the test isn’t what you say, it’s what you do.”

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Upon learning of their colleague’s decision, Treasury Board President and Transport Minister Anita Anand told reporters it was hitting her hard, while Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hadju wished Freeland the best over her decision, saying “I respect her for it.”

Other Liberal MPs have come to her defence after Freeland’s time serving as the face of some of the government’s most important files.

“She deserved better,” said Liberal MP Sean Casey, who represents Charlottetown.

“Chrystia Freeland is genuinely well-liked, and I think on a personal level, we all feel badly,” said Marcus Powlowski, Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

“I think she, too, is somebody who’s dedicated a lot of time on behalf of Canadians and doing the right things for Canadians. I think she’s a very capable person. I think all of us feel badly.”

Adam van koeverden, a Liberal MP from Ontario, said he was among a number of MPs who have questions about what happened.

Two Liberal MPs who attended Monday’s emergency caucus meeting confirmed that Freeland received a standing ovation from the room.

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Freeland was also greeted warmly at the Liberals’ holiday party Tuesday evening. Staffers, senators and ministers took turns hugging her. She applauded as Trudeau delivered his speech to caucus staffers and MPs, including when he attacked the Opposition Conservatives as having anti-abortion beliefs, with Freeland rising to her feet and clapping.

Inside the House of Commons earlier in the day, Conservative MPs accused Trudeau of being a “fake feminist prime minister,” which is a common attack they use against him, given the departures of other women from high-profile cabinet roles.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, who in 2015 became the first Indigenous person to serve as justice minister and attorney general, resigned in 2019, after she was demoted as she and Trudeau found themselves at odds over a deferred prosecution agreement for engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, now AtkinsRéalis.

Jane Philpott, former health minister, resigned in support of Wilson-Raybould.

Both took to X after Freeland’s news, with Wilson-Raybould delivering a warning that, “when the general is losing his most loyal soldiers on the eve of a (tariff) war, the country desperately needs a new general.”

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Philpott posted a message offering encouragement to her former colleague, saying “hold your head high, my friend.”

Celina Caesar-Chavannes, who stepped down as a Liberal MP, also during Trudeau’s first majority term, told CBC that Freeland’s resignation feels like “history’s repeating itself” from 2019, saying “look at the body count of women.”

Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien rejected any notion Freeland’s exit challenges Trudeau’s reputation as a feminist.

She told the National Post she “absolutely” still considers him to be, saying “I’m here.”

The minister added she wouldn’t call Trudeau’s commitments as a feminist political leader into question “at all” over what happened with Freeland.

Other Liberal MPs were not willing to defend the prime minister as vocally.

Sophie Chatel, who represents a Quebec riding, when asked whether she considers Trudeau to still be a feminist prime minister said, “I’m not answering those questions yet. I’m in reflection as well.”

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Meanwhile, Annie Koutrakis, Liberal MP for the Quebec riding of Vimy, said, “I think you’ll have to ask him that.”

Before informing Freeland he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister, a role she has held since 2020, Trudeau delivered a speech to the Equal Voice Foundation last week, where he touted himself as a proud feminist and ally to women.

He told the foundation, which advocates for more women to be involved in politics, that women’s progress was under attack, pointing to Trump’s victory over U.S. vice-president Kamala Harris.

The foundation released a statement following Freeland’s news, saying she “is one of a growing list of powerful women who have resigned from politics in unusual circumstances, often facing scrutiny and expectations distinct from their male counterparts,” saying it was a situation not unique to one political party or level of government.

Alicia Natividad, national director of the National Liberal Women’s Commission for the Liberal party, declined an interview, but said in an email she respects Freeland’s decision calling her “a strong role model for all women.”

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Since taking office, Trudeau has assembled a cabinet with an equal number of women and men, marking a first in Canadian history.

Freeland’s resignation has not changed that.

However, he is faced with deciding how he might maintain that with three of his female ministers — Carla Qualtrough, Filomena Tassi and Marie-Claude Bibeau — having announced plans not to seek re-election. Northern Affairs Dan Vandal also doesn’t plan to run again, same with Housing Minister Sean Fraser. Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault’s departure from cabinet last month also leaves him with another position to fill.

The Prime Minister’s Office has not yet responded to questions about whether he intends to maintain gender party when he shuffles his cabinet, the timeline of which remains unclear.

-With files from Catherine Levesque

National Post
staylor@postmedia.com

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