Justin Trudeau’s leadership is more fragile than ever after his right-hand woman, Chrystia Freeland, slammed the Cabinet door in spectacular fashion on Monday. “I was also flabbergasted than everyone. I didn’t expect it to end this way given what I know about their relationship,” explains journalist Catherine Tsalikis, author of the unauthorized biography Chrystiawhich appears in bookstores today, two months ahead of its initial release date. The Journal has obtained a copy of this book which traces the journey of this unlikely gifted politician, from her youth on a farm in Alberta to the pinnacle of power in Ottawa.
She could get started…eventually
Of the 130 people met during the writing of her book – including family members and colleagues from all over the world – no one heard Chrystia Freeland express the desire to one day become prime minister, reports the author. “If that’s what she wants, she’s kept it a secret from everyone, even her sister!” That said, Catherine Tsalikis wouldn’t be surprised if she made the jump…eventually. Maybe the dozens of Liberals who wanted photos of her at the party’s Christmas party on Tuesday will change her mind.
A gifted one
The book is very flattering to Chrystia Freeland. But her impressive career speaks for itself: born on a farm in northern Alberta to two lawyer parents, the 56-year-old was a bookworm from a young age. Years later, she studied at Harvard and Oxford, among others. In her twenties, she held important roles in international newspapers, including a notable stint as head of the bureau of Financial Times in Moscow at the age of 25.
Appearances, too little for her
The book is about a woman who cares most about ideas – and who doesn’t care about her appearance. The people who have surrounded her since she entered politics have understood over time that it was not worth insisting, despite their efforts to highlight her. “I think she hates the fact that she has a body and she hates doubly the fact that as a woman she has to look a certain way,” says former right-hand man Ben Bergen. Her house, sometimes messy, is not decorated in the latest fashion, her wardrobe is simple and she does not at all follow the latest trends in popular culture. She is not a morning person and prefers to work until late in the evening.
Loyalty pays
Justin Trudeau met Chrystia Freeland at a book launch party Plutocrats. The two, “of similar age and both parents of young children, hit it off right away.” The Prime Minister will eventually appoint her Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, in particular because of her loyalty. But his assertiveness was sometimes seen as condescension by Cabinet colleagues. “There can be a lot of boring people in politics. She doesn’t like dealing with these people and she doesn’t hide it very well,” explains a government source in the book.
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