Freeland 'absolutely' thinks Liberals can win again under Trudeau, plans to run for re-election
A decade after she was first elected, Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she plans to run again in the next federal election, while sidestepping the question of whether she's eyeing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's job.
In an interview on CTV's Your Morning, Freeland was asked about the Liberals' current standing in the polls and the sentiment among some voters that Trudeau should step aside, and whether she would like to lead the Liberal Party of Canada if the job opened up.
In response, Freeland said she was focused "first and foremost on supporting Canadians," after earlier in the interview discussing the range of promised affordability-focused measures from the fall economic statement that will take some time to roll out.
"People need our support. Canadians don't want us focused on ourselves, they want us focused on them. And I am also absolutely supporting our prime minister, who is leading our team doing a really, really great job," Freeland said.
Trudeau has repeatedly re-emphasised in recent interviews, and when asked on Parliament Hill, that he intends to stay on and lead the party the next federal election—currently scheduled for October 2025—despite some internal grumbling about his continued leadership after eight years.
According to the latest monthly seat projections by Nanos Research, support for the Conservatives has been trending sharply up since the summer and if an election took place today, they'd be "comfortably in majority territory."
Still, Freeland said she "absolutely" thinks the current minority Liberals can win the next election with Trudeau leading the charge.
"I really have to tell you… and journalists never believe this, my focus isn't on the polls. My focus is on my neighbours. My focus is on the Canadians I meet when I travel across the country," Freeland said.
"It sounds so kind of sappy, but truly, you know, when you are put by your fellow Canadians in a position like mine, your job is to wake up every day and think 'what are the problems people have? And what can I try to do today to make it better?' That's what I focus on."
Freeland was first elected as the member of Parliament for Toronto Centre, Ont. in a July 2013 byelection, and was then re-elected to represent the neighbouring riding of University-Rosedale, Ont. in the three subsequent federal elections.
Asked whether now a decade into elected federal office whether she's ready to make a change—a suggestion that's previously caused some speculation about Freeland eyeing an international role post-politics—or whether she is planning to run again, the deputy prime minister was clear.
"I'm definitely running in the next election," she said. "Up to my up to my neighbours to decide whether I get re-elected."
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The small-town Ontario woman caught in Harrods sexual assault 'coverup'
An Ontario woman is among the dozens of people who have come forward to allege that they were sexually abused by London-based businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former chairman and owner of Harrods.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder – it’s a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
New documentary reveals Tragically Hip members grieved apart after Gord Downie's death
The death of the Tragically Hip’s lead singer Gord Downie united fans across Canada in their grief, but in many ways pulled his bandmates apart.
Top Hezbollah commanders among 31 people killed is Israeli airstrikes on Beirut
The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb has risen to 31, including seven women and three children, Lebanon's health minister said on Saturday.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Is the price of your morning coffee on the rise?
It is not a great time to be a coffee drinker. In general, coffee bean prices are the highest they've been in more than a decade.
Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.
Andre De Grasse soaking in the moment, enjoying reception after Olympic gold in Paris
Andre De Grasse, fresh off of winning Olympic gold in the 4x100-metre rally in Paris 2024, has been in Toronto for the latest few weeks as part of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Local Spotlight
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.