"Previous to that, Freeland posted to her social media channels, this past Monday, that she had accepted a voluntary role as an economic advisor to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The position meant that she would step aside as Prime Minister Mark Carney's special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine. "In the coming weeks, I will also leave my seat in Parliament," she added, referring to her position as member of Parliament for University-Rosedale."
"That's when the backlash began. Questions rose around conflicts of interest and advising a foreign government while sitting as an MP. "Foreign interference can happen even from allies," noted international criminal justice law expert Mark Kersten. Conservative and New Democratic Party MPs alike added to the indignation, compelling Freeland to accelerate her stepping down as MP."
"As someone who has spent years researching and writing about Freeland, did you see this coming? That she would be directly appointed by President Zelenskyy as economic advisor? I saw it coming 100 percent. For the book, I reached out to Denys Shmyhal,"
Chrystia Freeland resigned effective January 9 after announcing she had accepted a voluntary role as economic advisor to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy while still holding her seat as MP for University-Rosedale. Questions about conflicts of interest and the propriety of advising a foreign government while sitting in Parliament prompted rapid backlash from Conservatives, New Democrats, and legal experts warning about foreign interference risks. Freeland initially planned to step aside as Mark Carney's special representative for Ukraine reconstruction and later leave Parliament, but pressure accelerated her departure. Biographer Catherine Tsalikis called the exit awkward yet described the next chapter as a natural fit given Freeland's background and ties to Ukraine.
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