OTTAWA – Arguably the most influential member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet as his foreign affairs minister during his Liberal government’s first term in office, Chrystia Freeland now serves as his chief lieutenant following her November 20 appointment as Canada’s deputy prime minister – a role unlikely to dramatically shift the Ukrainian Canadian parliamentarian’s attention away from her ancestral homeland, according to the Canadian-based president of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).
“She understands Ukraine and Russia better than any Western politician globally, and is viewed by other foreign ministers as the key point-person on Ukraine,” said Paul Grod in an interview. “She has a deep interest in Ukraine, and has expressed to me that she will still have a role in the Canada-Ukraine relationship – but to what extent, we’ll see.”