Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland as an economic development adviser, citing her experience in attracting investment.
The new role, announced Monday, is renewing questions about when the longtime MP will step down, which would trigger a byelection in a minority Parliament.
Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was deputy prime minister between 2019 and 2024. She has long been one of Canada’s most vocal opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience — both for the sake of Ukraine’s recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defense if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end,” Zelenskyy wrote on X Monday.
Freeland already serves as Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
A source close to Freeland said Zelenskyy asked her to take on the new role on Dec. 22 while she was in Ukraine, and she told Prime Minister Mark Carney about the request on Christmas Eve.
The source, who spoke on the condition they not be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said Freeland made the case that the new job is a continuation of the work she has been doing and that she sees it as good for both Canada and Ukraine.
It’s unclear whether Freeland will continue to serve in the special representative role as well along with her new advisory role.
Conservatives call for Freeland to resign as MP
The Ukraine position is not full time and is unpaid, the source said.
In September Freeland announced she was stepping down from cabinet, but she still represents the Toronto riding of University—Rosedale. Freeland has not formally announced any plan to resign as a member of Parliament.
In November, she was named the incoming CEO of the Rhodes Trust, an Oxford, England-based educational charity. Freeland’s office confirmed she would move to the United Kingdom for the gig, which starts July 1.
The source close to Freeland said more news on her plans to leave politics is coming “very soon,” but no date has been set.
The Conservatives are calling for her swift resignation.
“One cannot be a Canadian MP and an adviser to a foreign government,” said Conservative foreign affairs critic MP Michael Chong. “She must do one or the other.
“She should resign as adviser or as MP for University-Rosedale.”
Conservative MP Roman Baber called it “a blatant conflict of interest.”
CBC News has reached out to Canada’s conflict of interest and ethics commissioner for comment.
Carney pledges $2.5B package for Ukraine
The source said Zelenskyy would like Freeland to organize an international advisory council on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Her appointment comes as Carney heads to Paris to meet with other allies in a bid to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Late last month, Carney announced a $2.5-billion package of loans and debt suspension for Ukraine. It brought Canada’s total commitment to Ukraine in military, humanitarian and economic assistance since Russia’s 2022 invasion to more than $23.5 billion.
Zelenskyy said last week that after weeks of U.S.-led diplomacy, including talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida, a peace agreement was “90 per cent ready.” Zelenskyy has said over the past month that Ukrainian and U.S. officials have worked on several documents related to postwar reconstruction and investment.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on Saturday in Halifax to discuss economic aid amid the Russia-Ukraine war. This comes ahead of Zelenskyy’s plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss a peace deal.
Taras Kachka, Ukraine deputy prime minister, said on Saturday that international partners have reached consensus on an economic support package of about $800 billion US for Ukraine over the next decade. The package is based on calculations by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, and would cover damage compensation, reconstruction and economic stability and a $200-billion growth.
Freeland has roiled Russia in the past.
She was one of a number of Canadian officials subjected to retaliatory sanctions imposed by Vladimir Putin’s government in 2014, the year Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
After Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, she was a leading proponent among Ukraine’s allies for freezing some Russian assets.
