Then-minister of transport and internal trade Chrystia Freeland leaves the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 16, 2025.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Chrystia Freeland became the “minister of everything” in Justin Trudeau’s government because of her ostensible good judgment. This never made much sense to observers of her actual performance, which routinely showcased her poor political instincts against a backdrop of poor policy decisions.

Maybe the Chrystia Freeland that emerged at the end of Mr. Trudeau’s tenure – the one that decried “political gimmicks” and urged fiscal restraint – was there all along, hiding behind an obligatory façade of unyielding partisanship. Or perhaps, and what seems more likely, Ms. Freeland’s instincts actually aren’t that great.

That would help explain why she would take an advisory role with a foreign government while still continuing to serve as a Canadian member of Parliament.

On Monday morning, Ukrainian President

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