You could not blame Prime Minister Justin Trudeau if he looks like he has seen a ghost.
After reportedly offering Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland a demotion during a Zoom meeting on Friday, he likely felt he was being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future all at once when Freeland dropped her resignation letter on social media Monday.
On X (formally known as Twitter) Freeland stated “See my letter to the Prime Minister below”
Freeland added a lump of coal in her letter, using opposition-worthy rhetoric in citing “costly political gimmicks” on her way out the door, reference the “GST holiday.”
“On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the cabinet,” Freeland said in her letter. “Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the cabinet.”
The Liberals face the prospect of delivering the fall economic statement Monday afternoon with a back-up minister.
Adding to the chorus of chaos is NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party holds the balance of power in Parliament. Singh formally said Trudeau should resign as Liberal leader.
**(Updated as of 4pm)** Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister this afternoon, as the fall economic update showed a deficit topping $60 billion.
