As I read it, this came very close to saying "I won't work for someone who bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago" - ThreadSky

pkrugman.bsky.social • 74 days ago

As I read it, this came very close to saying "I won't work for someone who bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago"

Powerful resignation letter from Canadian finance minister Chrystia Freeland . . .

Comments

Long before her political career, the KGB had a file on Freeland because of her late 1980s pro democracy, independence work in Ukraine. She’s cast iron.

suezw.bsky.social•74 days ago

And she speaks Ukrainian, Russian, French, Italian.

toddgoldsbie.bsky.social•74 days ago

It may relate but it’s not the larger reason which is Canadian politics and economic policy differences.

fallingdownblue.bsky.social•74 days ago

It's also partly a campaign speech, although I don't see a path for her as the next party leader. She's almost as unpopular as Trudeau at the moment.

davidkarol.bsky.social•74 days ago

He was going to demote her in a government that is on its last legs anyway. Why not leave and distance herself from the sinking ship and preserve some political options? That's not what a politician will ever say, because it sounds too self-involved, but seems pretty straightforward.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

Political options are very limited in Canada for someone who was once finance minister… think Paul Martin and that other guy, whose name escapes me…. Wait: Turner?

davidkarol.bsky.social•74 days ago

Jean Chretien too.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

Wasn’t he Justice?

davidkarol.bsky.social•74 days ago

He was many things.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

Probably the best PM of my lifetime - the exception proves the rule?

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

Oh, I see he was Finance Minister for two years, but escaped to Justice just in time!

suezw.bsky.social•74 days ago

Paul Martin did become PM, though.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

For that matter, so did Turner - but their occupation of the office was more of a dead-cat bounce!

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

True… but he didn’t serve for long.

rimaregas.com•74 days ago

Someone needs to organize all the journos who have departed, been made to leave and will leave soon into one or two new trustworthy organizations free from the patronage of "benevolent" oligarchs. The substack model isn't sustainable. Most ppl will support one, maybe two journos. Darkness is upon us

jimcashel.bsky.social•74 days ago

The new administration doesn't appreciate what an amazing gift it is to have a prosperous, peaceful, reasonable, economically valuable northern neighbor. Of the global threats the US faces, we're prioritizing a fight against...Canada?

jimcashel.bsky.social•74 days ago

And by the way, Chrystia Freeland will be back.

martinrayner.bsky.social•73 days ago

Much speculation today among the punditry that she likely has her sights set on becoming leader.

dcmatt1.bsky.social•73 days ago

Not really. It's more like "We'll potentially need the money that you're giving away in the GST rebate for the fallout of pushing back against Trump."

paulcallahanmv.bsky.social•73 days ago

After seeing Zuckerberg, Bezos, and (et tu) Sam Altman pay $1 million bribes to Trump's (wink, wink) "inaugural fund" I feel nauseous. My friends and family are on Facebook. I sometimes need to order online. But I did cancel my paid ChatGPT. That might not last if I need it for a software project.

ironyisdead.bsky.social•73 days ago

Deputy PM's never move to the backbench. She's positioning herself as next in line for Trudeau's job while plausibly dissociating herself from him. I hope her "fiscal responsibility" argument is a convenient alibi, because, as economic policy, it feels dumb and dated.

tmihaljevic.bsky.social•74 days ago

I’d say that’s an overly US centric reading.

marathonmom.bsky.social•74 days ago

Agreed.

bdclarke.bsky.social•74 days ago

Even the best US observer is still stuck in the US frame.

bensmomjo54.bsky.social•74 days ago

Not at all

marathonmom.bsky.social•74 days ago

There are actual Canadians in this thread trying to explain why this is not a correct take and you think Americans have better insight than we do?

Just a little American centric.

bensmomjo54.bsky.social•74 days ago

Thanks, good point. I should have read the Canadians’ responses before I popped off.

erynnwatson.bsky.social•73 days ago

Sorry, but Americans, even the ones who aren't MAGA, really need to stop being so self-centered. Not everything is about you. Our country and its problems are more complex than just how we handle the facist rapist you guys just elected president.

mikewinter.bsky.social•74 days ago

Canadian here. I don't think so. Rather, I would take her at her word. She and Trudeau have significant disagreements about priorities not limited to response to Trump. And, Freeland has aspirations.

dudeonuws.bsky.social•73 days ago

Agree

8557farm.bsky.social•73 days ago

Rational people always have a dilemma with despots, openly fight and face jail or worse, for countries face attack by the US. Or try to divert the easy to manipulate narcissist to other targets. Standing up to rational leaders is different than dealing with Trump

espengis.bsky.social•73 days ago

When I started out in IT I made two promises - never ever to program in Cobol and never ever to work with IBM. I must admit I did have to write one Cobol program to get data from another system into a Cobol based accountancy system and I did have to convert some programs to run an IBM's AIX.

draglikepull.bsky.social•74 days ago

I don't think that's accurate. Reporting in Canada is that Freeland opposed Trudeau's plan to send $250 cheques to most households and wants to have more fiscal restraint.

suezw.bsky.social•74 days ago

And so does everyone with any kind of clue about how indebted Canada already is with little ammo left to face the oncoming Trump Slump.

rini1983.bsky.social•74 days ago

Sigh, with his actions, he's going to push other countries toward the right, their own nationalist parties, and a worse world for all. This isn't just America's problem, it's the world's now too.

harryc3.bsky.social•74 days ago

Wouldn't it be easier to just give T***p his bribe.

rdmullin.bsky.social•74 days ago

Reminds us of how rare principled resignations are by public officials in the U.S.

dewline.bsky.social•74 days ago

What the actual HELL???

hdhackman.bsky.social•74 days ago

The commitment to one's nation and all the democratic ideals it stands for is now being tested. It will separate the believers from the make-believers.

dailyresilience.bsky.social•74 days ago

Indeed

fredfred.bsky.social•74 days ago

Mostly it’s “stop bribing the electorate with tax holidays and rebates and save for Canada’s future”. Trudeau trying to save his own butt. Freeland would make a great PM.

eacamp.bsky.social•74 days ago

Agreed. She’s been waiting in the wings too long in my view.

peterrb1961.bsky.social•74 days ago

Trudeau making political decisions to salvage his electoral future. Freeland making economic fight with Trump administration the priority, damn the next election. There are legitimate differences here. The issue is making it a public fight which damages both of them.

donpoldorod.bsky.social•74 days ago

I'm no Jon Snow but sure know who's a fair ruler and who's not.

ivan64.bsky.social•74 days ago

This is related to Canada’s own complex political landscape - not everything relates back to American politics.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

But…. But…. Does the world actually exist beyond US borders?

marytorgersen.bsky.social•74 days ago

😂💯👍

dinodemitris.bsky.social•74 days ago

Trudeau is losing the plot and has treated her poorly last year after everything she has done for him during trumps first term. She should have stay in foreign affairs.

ahuihou.org•74 days ago

“But there’s a third possible explanation of crypto’s rise. Maybe asking “what are the legitimate use cases for this stuff” is the wrong question. What about the illegitimate uses, ranging from tax evasion to blackmail to money laundering?“

charles-benoit.bsky.social•74 days ago

Bad reading. Liberals and i am not please to say it, are our best bet against Trump. The other are syncophantic true believers. They will be welcoming the result of Trump action over this country.

ultimapunch.bsky.social•74 days ago

Trudeau needs to call elections. He’ll lose. But the tories will end up getting the blame for all the bad that Trump’s tariffs do.

stanehill.bsky.social•73 days ago

No they won't. Poilievre will never stop blaming Trudeau.

ultimapunch.bsky.social•73 days ago

It doesn't matter who he blames. The voters will blame whoever is in charge whether it's actually their fault or not.

beantowncanuck.bsky.social•74 days ago

No it’s much more driven by domestic politics and the unraveling of internal party dynamics of the federal Liberals.

mrmicawber.bsky.social•74 days ago

Paul - you’re reading it wrong.
Are you aware that the Liberal government announced a “tax holiday?”
This is what she means by “political gimmicks.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/shoppers-businesses-in-ottawa-adjust-to-life-under-tax-holiday-1.7411174

martinrayner.bsky.social•73 days ago

In a crowded field, this is surely one of the dumbest things Trudeau and the Liberal government has done since being in office. Once again, they've managed to annoy and frustrate just about everyone; almost nobody is happy w/ this bogus "tax holiday" that Freeland rightly described as a "gimmick."

blingdomepiece.bsky.social•74 days ago

It's not always about you guys :).

smokecityfc.bsky.social•74 days ago

It is a little more complicated than that. It has less to do with bending the knee at Mar-a-Lago and more to do with consumption tax time-outs and other ‘click-bait’ attempts by Trudeau to appease Maple-Maga.

marathonmom.bsky.social•74 days ago

Canadian here - I don't think that's it. Freeland was a key leader working with the Trump admin previously and would believe we need to do our best to work something out.

This is about Trudeau pushing populist gimmicks ($250 cheques, three month tax break) for political gain, but bad econ policy.

ironyisdead.bsky.social•73 days ago

One lesson of recent months and years is that: 1) gimmicks work (even PROMISING a gimmick works); 2) giving out checks is not the economic sin it's alleged to be.
I'm not saying Trudeau is right or smart, but if Freeland thinks she'll save Canada with the old "fiscal responsibility", she's deluded.

tmihaljevic.bsky.social•74 days ago

Id also say it speaks to Trudeau’s lack of understanding the political reality. Not enough progress has been made on important policy fronts (immigration, housing, cost of living) and he’s in denial about how screwed he is. Hes kinda just mailing it in with these stupid gimmicks

ylookup.bsky.social•74 days ago

...except he can't use the mail, due to that pesky postal strike! (I couldn't resist, sorry!)

tmihaljevic.bsky.social•74 days ago

peterrb1961.bsky.social•74 days ago

Yeah, I think that's the gist.

peterrb1961.bsky.social•74 days ago

@aaronwherry.bsky.social giving great political analysis on this on CBCNN currently.

stanehill.bsky.social•73 days ago

Canadian here- you are absolutely correct.

kellerzoe.bsky.social•72 days ago

Freeland's letter says that, indeed.
But after reading Trump's reaction, I wonder if Krugman nailed it. She would have been a tough negotiator and didn't like Trudeau's weakness.

tracyquannyc.bsky.social•73 days ago

She is also supposed to be the next PM. This might be her way of creating that path.

gchernack.bsky.social•74 days ago

Did she address it to Governor Trudeau?

crritic.bsky.social•74 days ago

The Guardian article butchered it

concretelyabstract.bsky.social•74 days ago

I don't think this is accurate. Freeland's issues are staking a moderate interventionist view compared to Trudeau who has for better or worse changed the political norm of debt spending in Canada.

concretelyabstract.bsky.social•74 days ago

It is also about her political future as Trudeau due primarily economic malaise does not look to be prime minister post next election.

Running for leadership will require distance and separation from what might be the greatest loss in the Liberal's history.