海角社区官网

Two decades later, as a senior business journalist in Manhattan, timing was also on Freeland鈥檚 side. Her meteoric career rise had plateaued somewhat, and she had a nagging feeling it was time to come home to Canada. By chance, one of her many talks on the international conference circuit was attended by Katie Telford, who would soon go on to become Justin Trudeau鈥檚 campaign manager as he sought and won the leadership of the Liberal party. In 2013, after months of being pursued by Trudeau and his team, Freeland gambled big, moving her young family from New York to 海角社区官网to run in a 海角社区官网Centre byelection, the Liberals still in third place in the House of Commons. The gamble paid off in spades when, in 2015, Trudeau led the Liberals to a historic majority, and Freeland was given the first of many high-profile cabinet posts.

From a very young age, friends and family say, Freeland has had a great ambition to do, rather than an ambition to be. She also understood early on that in order to be able to effect any sort of powerful, lasting change, she would need to be in the room where things happen. 鈥淭his is what is fun for her 鈥� to be in the thick of things, making stuff happen,鈥� says her younger sister Natalka.

Throughout Freeland鈥檚 decade as a cabinet minister for Justin Trudeau, she worked her way up from international trade to foreign affairs to finance, which, according to Natalka, was always Freeland鈥檚 ultimate prize. She enjoyed being able to deliver for the Trudeau government while also working towards goals that she was passionate about: for example, countering Vladimir Putin鈥檚 incursion into Ukraine, or securing free trade agreements that she believed would benefit Canada, or rolling out a national child care program to make it easier for women to work outside the home.

Last year, though, fissures finally began showing in Freeland and Trudeau鈥檚 previously solid relationship, culminating in Freeland鈥檚 shocking resignation, which in turn led to Trudeau鈥檚.

No doubt certain that this was her moment, Freeland threw her hat in the ring for the top job 鈥� the next logical move for the most powerful female politician in Canada. But it wasn鈥檛 to be this time, and in came Prime Minister Mark Carney, untainted by any significant connection to Trudeau. Freeland, a family friend, was sworn in as his minister for transport and internal trade.

The fact that Carney gave Freeland a cabinet post at all, when it would have been easier to cut such an obvious tie to the previous Liberal government, speaks to his faith in her abilities. But since the spring, it has been clear that Freeland is not a trusted member of Carney鈥檚 inner circle 鈥� that she is outside of the room where things happen, looking in. Though she wouldn鈥檛 care 鈥� she never Googles herself 鈥� the former 鈥淢inister of Everything鈥� has scarcely been in the headlines these past few months.

So what we saw this week 鈥� Freeland鈥檚 cordial resignation from cabinet, her advance notice that she won鈥檛 be running in the next election and her appointment, in the interim, as Canada鈥檚 new special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine 鈥� is really the best exit she could have hoped for.聽And, of course, it鈥檚 not to say that she has given up on her prime ministerial aspirations; she could very well end up following a path similar to the late John Turner, another finance minister who resigned in dramatic fashion from a Trudeau government. After a few years practicing law, Turner returned to federal politics, winning the Liberal leadership after Pierre Trudeau鈥檚 resignation and becoming prime minister.

But聽more so than any other Canadian politician, she understands, lives and breathes Ukraine and its history. She ran point on the Trudeau government鈥檚 response to Putin鈥檚 war in Ukraine, maintaining close ties with top Ukrainian officials, and is recognized internationally as one of the leading figures co-ordinating Western countries鈥� sanctions on Russia. She has proven herself to be fearless when it comes to standing up to authoritarian despots. And, crucially, as her sister Natalka says, she is 鈥渙ne hundred per cent convinced鈥� that Ukraine will win in the end.

As in the early 1990s, Freeland is the person who should be doing the job.

Whether the time before the next election will afford her the opportunity to make any sort of significant impact remains to be seen, but you can bet it鈥檚 exactly where she wants to be right now.