We have “no choice” to play Donald Trump’s game, believes Chrystia Freeland

“Trump does not respect weakness, capitulation cannot be a strategy. » Former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) leadership contender Chrystia Freeland appeared on the show Everyone is talking about itSunday evening, to demonstrate her desire to fiercely stand up to Donald Trump if she became prime minister.

Ms. Freeland, who officially launched her campaign on January 19, once again presented herself as the person who will stand up to US President Donald Trump and his tariff threat. Trump is a bully. As a country, we must tell him that we are not intimidated, that we love Canada. I say, Canada firstshe said.

His plan? Create the same uncertainty among our neighbors to the South by publishing a list of retaliatory measures.What American producers think and worry about matters more to Trump than what Canadian producers worry about.she said. We have no choice but to enter the game [de guerre commerciale] the Trump.

At the same time, Ms. Freeland highlighted her experience as a politician and negotiator, who, under Donald Trump’s first term, participated in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2018 in title of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I know how to win against Trump. I already did it once

However, relations between her and the American president are not in good shape. Mr. Trump mocked Ms. Freeland in a post on the Truth Social network, immediately after announcing his resignation last December, in which he described Ms. Freeland’s behavior as totally toxic et not at all conducive to concluding beneficial agreements [pour les Canadiens].

Mockery that doesn’t seem to worry him. I am absolutely confident that Trump will negotiate with me, because he did it the first time, and we found a deal win-winshe stressed.

The former Minister of Finance also mentioned that the PLC had a good chance of winning the next election against the Conservative Party of Canada, due, according to her, to the posture of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre vis-à-vis the American president. He doesn’t want to confront Mr. Trump. He does not want to defend Canada. He wants to be her friendshe said.

“There are people who are angry with me”

The former Minister of Finance returned to her resounding resignation on December 17, 2024 and defended herself from having brought down Justin Trudeau out of professional ambition.

It was an impossible situation for me. For several months, there have been disagreements with the Prime Minister over spendingshe explained. But after Trump’s election, I told myself that we had to take his threats seriously, and that it was not acceptable to send $250 checks to Canadians.

If a total of seven potential candidates have sent their files to the Liberal Party of Canada, the leadership race promises to be a two-person fight, with his main rival being Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada, but also the godfather of his son.

Not dwelling on the personal ties between them and the possible tensions, she described Mr. Carney as good civil servant and even foreshadowed that he could be [son] Minister of Finance.

Except that Mr. Carney has considerable support within Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs), François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Industry) and Steven Guilbault (Minister of the Environment), in particular, lined up behind him.

There are people who are angry with me, I understand thatshe admitted. It is not Justin Trudeau’s cabinet that will decide who is the next leader of the party and the next prime minister.

Furthermore, according to the census of CBC of January 25, 2025, Chrystia Freeland would receive 26 supports from the caucus of PLCincluding five from ministers. Mark Carney would receive 52 supports from the caucus, including 16 from ministers.

The race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada is set to end on March 9. But beyond this fateful date, and regardless of who wins, Ms. Freeland assured that the Liberals would continue to work together with a view to winning the next federal election.

Ms. Freeland also said that if she lost the race, she would stay in politics.