Canada, Ukraine, and the Fall of Chrystia Freeland

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/freeland-ukraine-economic-advisor-9.7033382

Toronto-area MP Chrystia Freeland is in the news once again. Her most recent high profile position was as Trudeau's deputy and she was viewed by many as the 'minister of everything' and almost the de facto prime minister. Having previously served as foreign secretary, and finance minister, her star has been rising for some time. In a sudden move that sent shock-waves throughout Ottawa and beyond, she resigned the cabinet at the end of 2024 - a move which helped to ultimately bring down Justin Trudeau's government the following month.

The incoming Trump administration's tariffs also played a significant part in this as Ottawa was scrambling and torn apart over how to deal with Trump's pending economic assault, not to mention his aggressive rhetoric regarding annexation.

In the subsequent leadership election for the Liberal Party, Freeland was trounced (86% vs. 8%) by Mark Carney who has been prime minister ever since. It was a sign that her rising star had lost its momentum and has maybe even been dealt a mortal blow.

She served briefly under Carney as Minister of Transport as well as Internal Trade. She also took up (in addition to her MP seat for University-Rosedale) the task of Ukrainian Reconstruction. But these were all effectively demotions - second tier positions for one that had been at the near pinnacle of Canadian government. Fans hoping for her return will probably point to the example of Churchill and his so-called years in the wilderness (1929-1939).

As 2025 ended, it was revealed that Freeland has taken an advisory post with Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government - ostensibly offering economic counsel. Freeland has been one of the most staunch advocates of the Ukrainian cause and as previously reported her grandfather (Michael Chomiak) was involved with ultra-nationalist elements allied to Nazi Germany during the war. Chomiak served as chief editor of a fascist newspaper that promoted Nazi policies and Anti-Semitism.

Freeland (who grew up in the Ukrainian community in Alberta and continues to speak Ukrainian at home) has been the key player in Canada's support for Kyiv. While her name was not directly connected to the Yaroslav Hunka scandal - the event in September 2023, when Hunka (a former Waffen-SS member) was lauded in the Canadian parliament as an anti-Russia combat veteran. she has been at the centre of all things related to Ottawa's policy vis-à-vis Kyiv. These issues also sparked some larger discussion and investigation of Canada's history of harbouring of ex-Nazi's and in particular Ukrainian fascists in the aftermath of the war. Hunka for his part is a war criminal involved in the slaughter of Poles. The US of course was heavily involved in the harbouring of Nazis after the war, and indeed one of the most famous cases also has a Ukrainian connection - the Kyiv-born auto worker from Cleveland, John Demjanjuk who died in 2012. He was accused of being one of the most notorious guards at Treblinka - a charge that was never proved, though undoubtedly he was (at the very least) a guard at Sobibor and Majdanek.

There is a strong push among some elements in the Western-Atlanticist Establishment to break Putin and bring down his regime - and for many this would be followed by the partition of Russia - a plan that echoes in many respects Hitler's Eastern strategy. For some this is all about geo-strategic calculations and the control of resources. And yet undoubtedly the perception by many is that for Freeland, this is personal. It's not hard to imagine that some Canadians share this cynicism regarding her motives and this has led to some suspicion as regard to her loyalties and rhetoric.

Of course every story that emerges regarding Freeland, Ukraine, and her family's fascist history is dismissed as Russian propaganda. I think another 'scandalous' aspect to Freeland coverage is the fact that the media consistently obscures not only Freeland's background but the nature of Ukrainian political connections to Canada.

While undoubtedly she is despised by Moscow, there is little doubt that she has laboured to expand and perpetuate the war. She has long been connected to Ukrainian lobbies within Canada - some of which have direct connections to wartime Ukrainian fascism and have played a role in whitewashing the nature of these crimes and criminals and laboured to bring them into mainstream Canadian society - men like Yaroslav Hunka. It's no accident that Canada was the first nation to recognize Ukrainian independence in 1991 and so while the UK, France, and other EU members have been very zealous for the Ukrainian cause, Canada (thanks to Freeland and other Ukrainian Canadians) has always been at the forefront of this struggle. The fact that Canadian troops were involved in training exercises with Neo-Nazi paramilitaries such as the Azov Battalion should have been a scandal but given that members of these units openly met with US politicians and were promoted on mainstream US television reveals the extent of the whitewash and propaganda campaign.

When one understands the Canada-Ukraine connections, and the role played by politicians such as Freeland, this decision to work as an advisor for Zelenskiy is hardly a surprise.

What is surprising is her sudden exit from parliament and one wonders is she plans a future return, or if Trump-era tensions have permanently wrecked her political ascent. The furore over her taking the advisory position while still seated in Parliament strikes me as somewhat contrived and politically motivated as she has been effectively an agent/advocate for Kyiv since 2014, and in fact her entire political career. She was in Kyiv in 2014, just weeks after the Euromaidan Coup, meeting with political leaders such as Vitali Klitschko, Petro Poroshenko, and others. There are more than a few Ukrainian politicians who openly speak of Freeland as being one of their assets. It's a question of formal/informal distinction and should have been a scandal years ago. But her opponents were handed a gift that (in the end) put her parliamentary departure under something of a shadow. Politicos will argue that her exit was poorly played.

It's impossible for me to say, but one wonders if her December 2024 departure from the Trudeau Cabinet (which accelerated his downfall) created some ill-feelings within the Liberal Party, and her subsequent landslide defeat for party leadership communicates that. Additionally, though she is friends with Carney, one wonders if there isn't some bitterness as her present departure from parliament has left Carney and the Liberal Party in something of a bind in terms of numbers and votes. By some accounts this is the second time she has been involved in a sabotage and for those who perceive it as such - her future in Liberal Party politics would certainly be in doubt. This has led some to think she is exiting Canadian politics altogether - but it would seem she still wants a part in the larger game and by now serving in Zelenskiy's government, she is (finally) pursuing her passion (as it were). A few years ago her name was being kicked around as a potential Secretary-General of NATO and it may be that she still has her sights on that office. The October 2024 ascension of Mark Rutte to the office (his term should end in 2028) was ill-timed for Freeland who was still serving as Deputy PM under Trudeau. She may still contend for the position in coming years or it may be that ship has sailed.

When the histories of Canadian foreign policy and the Ukraine War are written, Freeland's name will undoubtedly appear. She's played an important role. Investigative, adversarial, and anti-Establishment analysis reveals a large-scale propaganda campaign covering up the true nature of the war - something other than the 'unprovoked aggression' narrative of the media, as well as the cover-up of Ukrainian fascism (both past and present). Freeland has played an important role in this story and so as she now takes on an official role in the Kyiv government, and indeed as the war itself seems to be entering a new (and hopefully final) phase, we will wait and see what's coming next and what role she might play in connection to these events. Freeland's fall (if indeed that's how this should all be understood) is itself a sign of where things are going. Or it may be that her inclusion in the Kyiv government amidst the scandal and shake-up may signal that something significant is about to change. It may be that her purpose is to function as an agent for the pro-war parties, to ensure the war continues whether or not Zelenskiy's government falters under internal political pressures and to make sure the war agenda is not thwarted amid the mixed signals and threats coming from Washington.

See also:

https://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2022/03/thinking-several-moves-ahead.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2023/10/zelenskiy-knew.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-destructive-mafia-inspired-style-of.html

https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-ghost-of-woodrow-wilson.html