Chrystia Freeland (born Christina Alexandra Freeland) is a prominent Canadian politician and former journalist who served as Canada's Deputy Prime Minister from 2019 to 2024 and as Minister of Finance, playing a key role in navigating the country through economic challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tensions with the United States. A member of the Liberal Party, she was first elected to the House of Commons in 2013 as the MP for Toronto Centre, later representing University—Rosedale from 2015 onward. Her cabinet positions under Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney included Minister of International Trade (2015–2017), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017–2019), and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (2019–2021), where she advocated for progressive trade policies and multilateralism. Selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2005, Freeland has been influential in global networks, emphasizing inclusive economic growth and gender equality in leadership.

Before entering politics, Freeland had a distinguished career in journalism and writing. She worked as a reporter for the Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, and Reuters, covering Eastern Europe and Russia during the post-Soviet transition. As editor of the Globe and Mail's business section and managing director at Thomson Reuters, she gained expertise in global finance and emerging markets. Freeland authored influential books such as 'Sale of a Lifetime: How the Great Bubble Burst' (1990s) and the bestselling 'Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else' (2012), which critiqued wealth inequality and earned her recognition as a leading voice on economic populism. Of Ukrainian descent through her mother, Freeland has been vocal on issues affecting Ukraine, including Russia's 2022 invasion, drawing from her family's immigrant background.

Freeland's personal life reflects her multicultural roots; she was born in Alberta to a Ukrainian-Canadian mother and a father of Irish, Scottish, and German heritage. Married to lawyer David McLaughlin, she has three children and resides in Toronto. Her career trajectory from journalism to high-level politics underscores her commitment to public service, though she has faced criticism for her handling of economic policies amid inflation and housing crises. As of recent reports, she continues to influence Canadian policy, with ties to international organizations like the WEF shaping her worldview on global cooperation.