Who is Chrystia Freeland? Polyglot Canadian MP and ex-deputy PM to step down, become ‘unpaid’ economic adviser to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland has announced that she will step down as a member of Parliament to take up a new role as an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a statement shared on her social media profile. The advisory position will be unpaid and will also require her to step down as Canada’s special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, she said.

Freeland currently represents the Toronto riding of University–Rosedale. Confirming her decision to leave Parliament, she wrote, “In the coming weeks I will also leave my seat in Parliament. I want to thank my constituents for their years of confidence in me. I am so grateful to have been your representative.”



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally appointed Freeland on Monday, January 5, naming her an “Advisor on Economic Development.” Zelenskyy cited Ukraine’s need to strengthen its internal resilience as the country continues to face the economic and social impact of Russia’s ongoing invasion.


Freeland has been one of the most outspoken international supporters of Ukraine since the start of the war and is of Ukrainian heritage. Her advocacy has long placed her at odds with Moscow; in 2014, she was banned from entering Russia as part of President Vladimir Putin’s response to Western sanctions.

Who is Chrystia Freeland?

Chrystia Freeland is a senior Canadian politician, diplomat, and former journalist who has held several of the country’s most influential cabinet positions. Currently she is in the news for being appointed as an ‘unpaid’ economic advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She was first elected to Parliament in 2013 and currently serves as Canada’s Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine (Parliamentary Secretary). Chrystia Freeland is a polyglot; she speaks 5 languages - English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, and Italian. She lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

Chrystia Freeland’s political journey

Freeland was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre in 2013, before representing University-Rosedale from 2015 onward. She has been re-elected multiple times, most recently in 2025, establishing herself as a key figure in Canadian federal politics.

From 2015 to 2017, Freeland served as Minister of International Trade, where she oversaw the successful negotiation of the Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). She went on to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2019, playing a central role in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and defending Canada’s interests during the first Trump administration.

In 2019, Freeland was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, helping coordinate Canada’s national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, she made history by becoming Canada’s first female Minister of Finance. As finance minister, she led Canada’s pandemic-era economic response, introduced a national $10-a-day childcare program, and helped maintain the country’s comparatively low debt and deficit ratios among G7 nations.

In 2025, Freeland was appointed Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, working with Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen Canada’s economy by reducing barriers to interprovincial trade. Before this latest appointment, Freeland had been named by Prime Minister Mark Carney as Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine

Chrystia Freeland as a journalist

Before entering politics, Freeland was an accomplished journalist and author. Born in Peace River, Alberta, she studied at Harvard University and later attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She has written two widely recognized books, Sale of the Century (2000) and Plutocrats (2012).

Her work has earned international recognition, including being named Foreign Policy’s Diplomat of the Year in 2018, receiving the Mark Palmer Prize from Freedom House in 2020, and the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2025 for her defence of democracy and the rules-based international order.