Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reshuffled his cabinet yesterday to prepare for Donald Trump’s presidency, according several media reports.
International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland – credited with reanimating the free trade agreement with the European Union last year – will take over the country’s foreign affairs portfolio.
Freeland replaces Stephane Dion, who is quitting politics to take up a diplomatic post, CBC News reported.
Freeland’s priority will be navigating Canada’s relationship with the United States, its largest trade and security partner, as protectionist sentiments take root in Washington.
President-elect Trump has vowed to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico or tear it up completely if he can’t get better terms for the US.
About 75% of Canadian exports go to the US.
Freeland’s success in overcoming last-minute hurdles to signing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU and her mastery of the international trade file are seen as valuable experience in dealing with the incoming Trump administration.
However, the appointment of the former journalist and expert on Russia and Ukraine could further complicate Canada’s relations with Russia as Freeland has been a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin’s policies and Russian actions in Ukraine.
She is among 13 Canadian blacklisted politicians banned from travelling to Russia since 2014.
Moscow banned Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, as part of a series of retaliatory sanctions against Canadian officials.
Ottawa had earlier blacklisted many Russian officials to punish the country for its annexation of Crimea.
Before running for election in the Canadian parliament, Freeland worked for Reuters, a unit of Thomson Reuters.
Several Canadian media also report that Immigration Minister John McCallum, a veteran politician who spearheaded the campaign to bring in over 35,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, will also leave politics.
A Freeland spokesman could not immediately be reached while spokespeople for Dion and Trudeau declined to comment.
The shuffle will be the first major change Trudeau has made to the cabinet he appointed in November 2015.
Donald Trump is due to succeed US President Barack Obama on January 20.
Freeland: banned from Russia.
