National

Fiscal update in limbo after Freeland quits as finance minister

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Dec, 2024 11:44 AM

The Liberal government's plans to unveil a fall economic update on Monday were thrown into disarray by the finance minister's abrupt resignation.

Chrystia Freeland released a letter Monday morning announcing her decision to step aside after she and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada."

See my letter to the Prime Minister below // Veuillez trouver ma lettre au Premier ministre ci-dessous pic.twitter.com/NMMMcXUh7A
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) December 16, 2024

Freeland's letter cited the threat of tariffs from incoming U.S. president Donald Trump and said she made "strenuous efforts this fall to manage our spending" to counter that threat.

But, she said, Trudeau's decision to offer her a different cabinet post on Friday has shown a lack of confidence in her as minister and she hs stepped away from cabinet altogether.

Media and stakeholders were gathered in Ottawa in the morning to receive embargoed copies of the fall economic statement, but the documents were not handed out. Media have been told the documents will be distributed at 1:45 p.m. ET.

Freeland was set to present the fiscal update in the House of Commons later on Monday afternoon.

A senior government source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the plans, said a cabinet minister will present the update in Parliament. It is not yet clear who that will be, though the source noted it does not have to be the finance minister.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Skier missing at Sun Peaks resort

Police and search crews are on the lookout for a skier missing at Sun Peaks Resort since Tuesday. R-C-M-P say 68-year-old Tomasz Jaholkowski did not appear to return to his hotel room after being seen on surveillance video at a chairlift earlier in the day.

Skier missing at Sun Peaks resort

Inmate death in Abbotsford prison

An inmate at an Abbotsford prison has died while in custody. The Correctional Service of Canada says the 39-year-old male inmate was serving a sentence of more than three years when he died at the Matsqui Institution.

Inmate death in Abbotsford prison

What the upcoming holiday GST relief will mean for consumers

The federal government's GST break will arrive this Saturday, just in time for the last stretch of holiday shopping. Here's a breakdown of what you'll save on and how the relief works.

What the upcoming holiday GST relief will mean for consumers

Climate groups tried to spur action with a Taylor Swift ticket giveaway. Can it work?

While Eras Tour tickets have been used as a magnet for companies and even charities to attract new customers and donors, a campaign called Unite the Swifties took it a step further. The campaign encouraged people who wanted free tickets to engage in escalating actions against RBC, one of the world's largest bank financiers of fossil-fuel companies — and the "Official Ticket Access Partner" for Swift's tour stops in Toronto and Vancouver.

Climate groups tried to spur action with a Taylor Swift ticket giveaway. Can it work?

Canadian officials eyed 'new opportunities' no matter who won U.S. election: memos

Several months before Americans headed to the polls, one internal Global Affairs Canada memo flagged the goal of ensuring Canada's relationship with the United States "will be not only sustained, but broadened and deepened over the years to come, whatever the result of the elections later this year."

Canadian officials eyed 'new opportunities' no matter who won U.S. election: memos

U.S. study links Canadian wildfire smoke to doctor visit spike in Baltimore

U.S. researchers published peer-reviewed findings Friday that suggest doctor visits in the Baltimore area for heart and lung problems increased by almost 20 per cent on six "hotspot" days linked to wildfire smoke from Western Canada.