Former longtime cabinet minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland says she will resign from Parliament “in the coming weeks,” in a social media post shared just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he’d appointed her as an advisor on economic development.
In September, Freeland was tapped to be Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine. At the time, she stepped down from her cabinet position of transport and internal trade minister to take on the new role, but said she’d stay on as an MP.
In a social media post Monday, Freeland said she would also be stepping aside as special representative in order to fulfill her new voluntary role for the Ukrainian president.
“In the coming weeks I will also leave my seat in Parliament,” Freeland wrote. “I want to thank my constituents for their years of confidence in me. I am so grateful to have been your representative.”
“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,” Freeland also wrote.
Prior to Freeland’s statement on Monday, a source close to her told CTV News that Zelenskyy asked her to take on the role on Dec. 22, and she informed Prime Minister Mark Carney of her decision on Dec. 24.
The source also says the position is not full-time and is unpaid, with Zelenskyy wanting Freeland to organize an international advisory council on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Freeland is of Ukrainian descent and lived in both Ukraine and Russia during her two decades as a journalist, prior to entering politics.
In a post to X on Monday, Carney thanked Freeland for her work and described her as “uniquely qualified for this important new role.”
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