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yesterday

Zelenskyy Names Chrystia Freeland Economic Development Adviser

The unpaid, part-time post raises pressure over whether the Liberal MP will relinquish her seat in Canada.

Rescuers work at an apartment building hit by a Russian air strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Jan 2. Chrystia Freeland left cabinet in September to take on a newly created role as Prime Minister Mark Carney's Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.
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Canada's Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland arrives at the First Ministers meeting to discuss various trade and policy issues at TCU Place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Nayan Sthankiya/File Photo
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, December 27, 2025. REUTERS/Darren Calabrese

Overview

  • Ukraine published Decree No. 15/2026 on Jan. 5 appointing the former Canadian deputy prime minister as a non‑staff adviser on economic development.
  • A source close to Freeland told CBC the role is unpaid and not full time, and said she informed Prime Minister Mark Carney of the request on Dec. 24.
  • Zelenskyy framed the hire as strengthening Ukraine’s internal resilience for either accelerated recovery through diplomacy or prolonged defense needs.
  • Freeland remains the MP for Toronto’s University—Rosedale and Canada’s special representative for Ukraine’s reconstruction, prompting Conservative MPs to urge her resignation from one of the roles.
  • Freeland is slated to become CEO of the Rhodes Trust on July 1 in Oxford, adding questions about how her overlapping responsibilities will be managed.