Trudeau affirms ‘full confidence’ in Freeland amid reports of tension

Justin Trudeau on Thursday reaffirmed his “full confidence” in Chrystia Freeland amid reports of tension between the prime minister’s office and the finance minister.

Speaking at the close of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington, D.C., Trudeau was asked about the possibility of replacing Freeland — also his deputy prime minister — with Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.

The question followed a report from the Globe and Mail on Thursday of “tension” between the PMO and Freeland over her recent handling of the economic file. That article, as well as previous reporting from the Toronto Star, positioned Carney as a possible successor to Freeland as finance minister.

0:52 Freeland says Trudeau has ‘full support’ of Liberal cabinet

“In regards to Chrystia, she has been a close friend and ally and partner in doing really big things for Canada and will continue to be,” Trudeau told reporters Thursday. He went on to cite the Liberal government’s latest spending plans on housing and child-care.

Freeland tabled her fourth federal budget in April, a plan that called for billions in spending as a bid to improve “generational fairness” for the youngest Canadians. The budget included a contentious plan to raise the inclusion rate on some capital gains, a change the Liberals passed in June despite opposition from some industry groups and business leaders.

“These are all things that Chrystia has led on and will continue to. I have full confidence in her abilities and the work we’re going to be doing together,” Trudeau said.

The prime minister also acknowledged that he has been speaking with Carney “for years about getting him to join federal politics” but did not comment directly on whether he was being considered for the finance minister post.

1:46 WEF summit: Freeland, Carney warn of future supply shocks amid global instability

“I think he would be an outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics,” Trudeau said.

The Liberal government has been feeling the political heat in recent months since the party lost what was expected to be a safe seat in the Toronto-St. Paul’s federal byelection in late June.

Trudeau himself has faced calls, including from one Liberal MP and a former cabinet minister, to step down from the party leadership as the incumbent government trails Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party in the polls. Freeland has also defended Trudeau from such calls, saying he has the “full support” of the Liberal cabinet.

— with files from Global News’s Touria Izri