Chrystia Freeland Steps Away from Cabinet: The First Domino in Carney’s Liberal Era

Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Canada’s lead liaison on the Ukraine file, has announced she will step away from cabinet and leave federal politics altogether. She confirmed she has no intention of running in the next election.

The timing is not a surprise. For months, it was one of Ottawa’s worst-kept secrets that Freeland would exit after Mark Carney’s election as Liberal leader. Freeland held a “safe seat,” and the party’s strategists needed her to stay in place until the transition was complete. With Carney now firmly at the helm, her departure marks one of the first major shifts in the reconfiguration of the Liberal front bench.

Freeland’s political legacy is polarizing. Within the party, she was often described as one of the key architects behind the ousting of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—a move that still divides Liberals. Depending on where one stands on the spectrum, Freeland was either viewed with suspicion or outright hostility. Conversations with former government colleagues reveal a pattern of tense working relationships and, in many cases, less-than-flattering accounts of how they were treated by her.

Her tenure as Finance Minister during turbulent economic times and her role in steering Canada’s response to the Ukraine crisis remain contested chapters. Critics argued that combining the finance portfolio with high-stakes foreign policy responsibilities stretched her influence too thin. Supporters, meanwhile, maintain she provided continuity during an unstable period.

Freeland’s exit also sparks a broader question: who replaces her? She has not officially resigned her seat, but if and when she does, the Liberal tradition of “managed succession” is likely to resurface. At times, it appears the party has long favoured handpicked candidates over open contests, leaving voters with the optics of choice rather than true competition.

Still, her departure is significant. As one of the highest-profile figures in Trudeau’s and now Carney’s Liberals, Freeland’s decision signals both the end of an era and the beginning of internal reshuffling. Whether this strengthens Carney’s control or further exposes divisions inside the party remains to be seen.

One thing is certain: Chrystia Freeland’s exit is the first domino to fall in the Carney era—and the ripples it creates will shape how the Liberals attempt to rebrand themselves ahead of the next election.