Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 6 sepTember 2018
Canada's strong-willed foreign minister leads trade talks

By ROB GILLIES Throughout her career,
TORONTO (AP) — She is Freeland has cultivated an
many things that would impressive group of friends.
seem to irritate President Mark Carney, the Bank of
Donald Trump: a liberal Ca- England governor, is a god-
nadian former journalist. father to one of her three
That makes Foreign Minister children. Friends include
Chrystia Freeland an un- Larry Summers, the former
usual choice to lead Can- U.S. treasury secretary, and
ada's negotiations over a billionaires George Soros
new free trade deal with a and Stephen Schwarzman,
surprisingly hostile U.S. ad- the Blackstone Group chief
ministration. executive who once led
Recruited into politics one of Trump's disbanded
by Prime Minister Justin business councils.
Trudeau, Freeland has al- "I always found her to be
ready clashed with Russia extremely smart and easy
and Saudi Arabia. Those to talk with," Schwarzman
who know her say she's said. "She accessible and
unlikely to back down in a direct and quick. You don't
confrontation with Trump. get to be a Rhodes scholar
"She is everything the Trump by accident."
administration loathes," Summers is a mentor from
said Sarah Goldfeder, a Harvard.
former official with the U.S. "Her clarity of thought,
Embassy in Canada. straightforwardness and
Freeland, a globalist ne- deep sense of principle
gotiating with a U.S. ad- In this Aug. 31, 2018, file photo, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks during make her an ideal leader
a news conference at the Canadian Embassy after talks at the Office of the United States Trade
ministration that believes Representative, in Washington. of the international com-
in economic nationalism Associated Press munity as it responds to
and populism, hopes to sal- highly problematic Ameri-
vage a free trade deal with traditional adversaries and some Americans viewed regular appearances on can policy," Summers said
Canada's largest trading be guaranteed to win," her June speech in Wash- talk shows like Zakaria's. in an email.
partner as talks resumed Freeland said in the June ington as something less "She was a godsend for Bremmer said Freeland has
Wednesday in Washing- speech. "But if history tells than diplomatic. us, frankly, because she is serious globalist credentials,
ton. The 50-year-old Har- us one thing, it is that no "It was around that time, so bright and so talented "but right now, momentum
vard graduate and Rhodes one nation's pre-eminence within days, that the U.S. and articulate," Zakaria is not with that group glob-
scholar speaks five lan- is eternal." threw Canada out of the said. "She is as about as im- ally."
guages and has influential Despite being the chief ne- room," MacKay said. "There pressive a person as I have When Trudeau became
friends around the world. gotiator with the Trump ad- is sometimes concern that met." prime minister in 2015, he
"I have enormous sympa- ministration, Freeland has she is taking the lead from Freeland, who is of Ukrai- named Freeland to his
thy for her because she is criticized it when few other her prime minister by play- nian heritage, also wrote Cabinet. She served as in-
negotiating with an unpre- leaders of Western democ- ing a little bit to a domestic a well-received book on ternational trade minister
dictable, irrational partner," racies have. audience." Russia and left journalism and worked on ensuring
said CNN host Fareed Za- "She's an extremely strong- Trudeau personally recruit- for politics in 2013 when she that a free trade deal with
karia, a friend of Freeland's willed and capable young ed Freeland to join his Lib- won a district in Toronto. the European Union didn't
for 25 years. woman, and I think Trump eral Party while it was the She has been a frequent unravel. At one point, she
Freeland cut short a trip generally has a problem third party in Parliament in critic of Russian President left stalled talks near tears
to Europe last week af- with that," said Ian Brem- 2013. Freeland had a senior Vladimir Putin, who banned after saying it had been
ter Trump reached a deal mer, a longtime friend and position at the Reuters news her from traveling to the impossible to overcome
with Mexico that excluded foreign affairs columnist agency but was ready to country in 2014 in retalia- differences. An agreement
Canada. Talks with Cana- and president of the Eur- move on after setbacks in tion for Western sanctions was reached not long af-
da resumed but Trump said asia Group. "She's not go- her journalism career, said against Moscow. ter that, and Freeland re-
he wasn't willing to make ing to bat her eyelashes Martin Wolf, an influential She remains chummy with ceived credit.
any concessions. at Trump to get something Financial Times columnist journalists, even bringing Now she's facing her tough-
The Trump administration done. That's not Chrystia. and longtime friend. them frozen treats in 90-de- est challenge with the
left Canada out of the talks She doesn't play games." Freeland previously had ris- gree heat last week while North American Free Trade
for five weeks not long af- After Freeland and her de- en rapidly at the Financial they waited outside the Agreement, since the U.S.
ter the president vowed to partment tweeted criticism Times where she became U.S. Trade Representative represents 75 percent of
make Canada pay after of Saudi Arabia last month Moscow bureau chief in office in Washington. Canada's exports.
Trudeau said at the G-7 for the arrest of social activ- her mid-20s during the col- Bremmer, who met Free- "Canada is stuck with the
in Quebec he wouldn't ists in the kingdom, Cana- lapse of the Soviet Union. land in Kiev in 1992, good- United States. That's Cana-
let Canada get pushed da suffered consequences. Freeland also served as naturedly chided her for a da's trade," Bremmer said.
around in trade talks. Free- The Saudis suspended dip- deputy editor of the Globe strange foible: a habit of "Canadians are going
land then poked the U.S. lomatic relations and can- and Mail in Toronto and writing notes on her hands to have to swallow a fair
when she received Foreign celed new trade with Can- the Financial Times. She even when she has note- amount of pride. They are
Policy magazine's diplomat ada and sold off Canadian had designs on becom- pads. going have to pretend they
of the year award in Wash- assets. ing editor of the Financial "I have seen in her environ- like this guy a lot more than
ington. Peter MacKay, a former Times but left after a clash ments with foreign ministers they obviously do or they
"You may feel today that Canadian foreign minister, with the top editor. She was and heads of state with risk getting much more ec-
your size allows you to go said public shaming like familiar to many TV viewers stuff on her hands," he said onomically punished. That's
mano-a-mano with your that doesn't work and said in the U.S. because of her with a laugh. just the reality."q