Chrystia Freeland to Resign as MP on Friday After Taking Advisory Post With Ukrainian Government

Liberal MP and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 9, 2025. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland says she will step down from Parliament on Jan. 9, after initially saying she would resign in a few weeks due to recently accepting a position as an adviser to the Ukrainian government.

Freeland’s Jan. 7 announcement comes following criticism from opposition NDP and Conservative MPs, who said Freeland should have already resigned as an MP before accepting a position advising the government of a foreign nation.

Freeland first announced she was taking the job advising Ukraine on Jan. 5, following an earlier announcement that day by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about her appointment. In her statement, Freeland said she is resigning from her Canadian government role as representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine, but added she would vacate her seat in Parliament “in the coming weeks.”

On Jan. 7, Freeland said she has written to the speaker of the House and confirmed that she will resign as a parliamentarian on Jan. 9

“One of the roles I will be taking on is as an unpaid advisor on economic issues to the President of Ukraine. This is a volunteer position, and I have consulted throughout with the Ethics Commissioner and followed his advice,” Freeland posted Jan. 7 on social media.

“Going forward I will continue to support and help build Canada in every way I can, while championing the brave fight of the people of Ukraine, a cause I have been committed to my entire life.”

Opposition criticism included commentary from Conservative MP and shadow critic for foreign affairs Michael Chong, who called on Freeland to step down on Jan. 5, writing: “One cannot be a Canadian MP and an advisor to a foreign government. She must do one or the other.”

Conservative MP Michael Barrett, his party’s ethics critic, also raised concerns about Freeland’s potential access to sensitive information.

“An added concern is that as a former member of cabinet with the highest security clearance, will Ms. Freeland continue to have access to sensitive information while advising a foreign government at the highest level?” he posted Jan. 6 on X, adding that Carney should direct Freeland to resign immediately.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Jan. 6 that he was “absolutely not” keeping Freeland on as a Liberal MP because the party has a minority government. Following two floor crossings by Conservative MPs to join the Liberal caucus last year, the Liberal Party holds 171 seats in Parliament and is one seat away from being a majority government, which can pass laws without the support of any other party.

The Liberals have been reaching out to MPs in other parties in recent weeks to attract more potential floor crossers and achieve the majority, and Freeland leaving her seat would, at least in the short-term, bring them further from that goal.

Zelenskyy said Freeland has been brought on as an economic adviser due to her knowledge and expertise in economic development and her record of “attracting investment and implementing economic transformations.”

Freeland was first elected to Parliament as an MP in 2013 and went on to serve in various ministerial appointments from 2015 to 2025, including most recently serving as minister of transport and internal trade from March to September 2025 under Carney.

Upon resigning from her cabinet position Sept. 16, Carney appointed Freeland to the newly created parliamentary secretary position of special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine. She also announced that she would not run for re-election in her constituency of University—Rosedale.

She also served as deputy prime minister from 2019 to 2024 under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and lost a bid to lead the Liberal Party last year to Carney.

In addition to taking on a role as an economic adviser to Ukraine, Freeland will become CEO of the Rhodes Trust, a worldwide educational charity based in Oxford, England, on July 1.

Carney thanked Freeland for her service on Jan. 5, saying she is “uniquely qualified” for her new role with the Ukrainian government.

“It is a further credit to Canada’s steadfast support for Ukraine that a Canadian is taking on this role at this crucial moment for Ukraine’s future,” Carney said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.