Prime minister's team blindsided by Freeland's resignation: source
CTV
The first time anyone in the senior ranks of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office got any indication Chrystia Freeland was about to resign from cabinet was just two hours before she made the announcement on social media, a senior government source tells CTV News.
The first time anyone in the senior ranks of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office got any indication Chrystia Freeland was about to resign from cabinet was just two hours before she made the announcement on social media, a senior government source tells CTV News.
Freeland learned she was losing the finance portfolio in a Friday morning Zoom call with the prime minister.
His team moved through the rest of the day and weekend under the impression Freeland would take on a new position as the government's point person on Canada-U.S. relations and retain her title as deputy prime minister, according to the source who has close knowledge of the events.
Freeland's team and senior staffers in the Prime Minister's Office continued to exchange messages over the weekend, in which the source told CTV News Freeland's team again gave no indication she was upset or considering resigning. One such message from Freeland's team even read "looking forward to making it work."
Freeland herself even texted a senior member of Trudeau's team Sunday night reiterating things were a go.
On Monday morning, two hours before posting her resignation letter to social media, Freeland sent another message to that same senior staffer, indicating she needed to speak to the prime minister. The government source told CTV News this was the sole indication they were given that anything was wrong.
In the letter, Freeland wrote "on Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the cabinet," adding "upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet."
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The first time anyone in the senior ranks of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office got any indication Chrystia Freeland was about to resign from cabinet was just two hours before she made the announcement on social media, a senior government source tells CTV News.
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