Canada's Trudeau names ally Freeland as finance minister in agenda reset

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed his close ally and deputy Chrystia Freeland as the country's new finance minister on Tuesday amid plans to outline a revamped agenda and pandemic recovery plan.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed his close ally and deputy Chrystia Freeland as the country's new finance minister on Tuesday amid plans to outline a revamped agenda and pandemic recovery plan. Freeland, 52, a former journalist and foreign minister, becomes the country's first female finance minister, replacing Bill Morneau who resigned on Monday amid friction with Trudeau.

The appointment comes after a tumultuous week for the government that ended in Morneau's resignation as finance minister on Monday night. Sources told Reuters that Morneau and Trudeau had clashed over pandemic spending, including on green initiatives the prime minister views as key for the economy. Freeland, who is considered Trudeau's most likely successor as Liberal Party leader, spearheaded negotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade pact as Canada's foreign minister. That experience and her relationships with provincial premiers make her a good choice, economists said.

Freeland remains deputy prime minister.