Former Liberal cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland says she’ll step down as a member of Parliament Friday, marking the end of an era for the party.
Earlier this week the high-profile MP accepted what’s being described as a voluntary role advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and indicated she would soon be leaving Canadian politics.
“I have written to the Speaker to confirm that I will vacate my seat effective this Friday,” she wrote 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.”
What comes next for Chrystia Freeland’s riding after she steps down
Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was deputy prime minister between 2019 and 2024 and the country’s first woman to serve as finance minister. She has long been one of Canada’s most vocal opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The onetime Liberal leader hopeful has represented the downtown Toronto seat of University-Rosedale since 2015. It was carved out of a riding she first won in 2013.
The Conservatives have been vocal urging her to resign immediately, arguing she’s in a conflict of interest sitting as an MP while advising a foreign leader.
