Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is ânot going anywhereâ when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
On the first day of the fall sitting of Parliament, the Conservatives repeatedly went after Freelandâs job as finance minister following last weekâs appointment of former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney as an economic advisor for the Liberal Party.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman claimed that Carney was âbrought in to serve as the de-facto finance ministerâ and that Freeland was being âdemoted.â
âSheâs lost her jobâs responsibilities. Sheâs lost her credibility. How long will the phantom finance minister endure this humiliation,â Lantsman said on Monday.
In response, Freeland made it clear her position in the Trudeau government is not at risk, saying âI am not going anywhere.â
âI can understand why the Conservatives prefer to focus on personal mudslinging and attacks rather than to actually talk about the economy,â Freeland answered to Lantsman on Monday.
âThey donât want to talk about inflation because itâs been down in the target range for seven months in a row. They donât want to talk about interest rates, down three times in a row. All they can do is insult people.â
Earlier this summer, reported there was tension between Freeland and the Prime Ministerâs Office. There was also speculation Carney could be tapped to replace her in some capacity.
But Freeland has since maintained she felt she had Prime Minister Justin Trudeauâs support, and last week called Carney âa real addition to (the) team.â
âHe's someone who I talk to often, and whom I've talked to often about economic policy since becoming finance minister,â Freeland said on Sept. 10.
Freeland also put more cold water on speculation about her future as finance minister in a press conference on Monday.
When asked whether she had any discussions this summer with Trudeau about being replaced or changing her portfolio, Freeland said âI did not.â
With files from CTV Newsâs Spencer Van Dyk