Biography
Chrystia Freeland — deputy pm / finance with roots in the USSR
Chrystia Freeland served as Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister under Justin Trudeau. A Rhodes Scholar and former journalist, she championed Western sanctions against Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"Her Ukrainian family fled Soviet upheaval; Freeland was raised in Alberta, Canada."
Migration storyRussian Connection
Tracing the roots — Ukraine (USSR)
Freeland's mother, Halyna Chomiak, was born in Soviet-occupied Ukraine. This heritage fueled Freeland's lifelong hawkishness on Russian expansionism and her fluency in Ukrainian and Russian.
Her mother was born in a displaced persons camp; grandparents fled the Soviets. She speaks fluent Russian/Ukrainian.
Family Tree
Subject
Chrystia Freeland🇨🇦 Canada
↑
Origin
Ukraine (USSR)🇷🇺 USSR
Historical context
Soviet Union (USSR) · 1922–1991
Ukraine (USSR). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.
Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada 2019–2025
02
Finance Minister 2020–2024
03
Author of 'Plutocrats' (2012)
04
Rhodes Scholar
05
Led G7 Russia sanctions coordination
Sources