Chrystia Freeland\u2019s grandfather edited a German-controlled newspaper during World War II, a fact she has attempted to dismiss as \u201cKGB propaganda\u201d<\/p>\n
Chrystia Freeland\u00a0has resigned as Canada\u2019s minister of transport to become her country\u2019s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
\nFreeland, the granddaughter of a Nazi collaborator who has denied awareness of his past, has long faced scrutiny over her denial of the facts of her family’s legacy.\u00a0\u00a0
\nOne of the most prominent figures in Canadian politics for over a decade, she has\u00a0held ministerial positions in\u00a0international trade, foreign affairs, and finance.\u00a0In a statement on Tuesday, Carney said that Freeland, often seen as a potential political rival,\u00a0will remain a member of parliament.
\n\u201dChrystia is truly uniquely positioned for this timely and essential work towards a better future for Ukrainians and peace in Europe,\u201d he said, citing her \u201cdeep relationships and understanding of Ukraine and its economy.\u201d
\nFreeland herself did not comment on her new role, but has confirmed that she\u00a0is leaving the cabinet and is not planning to run in the next election.
\nCommenting on the announcement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova branded Freeland a \u201chardcore Russophobe,\u201d adding that her appointment would only exacerbate the crisis in Ukraine.
\nHer family\u2019s troubled legacy is well-documented. Her maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, edited the Krakivski Visti newspaper in Nazi-occupied Poland and Austria during WWII\u00a0before he emigrated to Canada.
\nThe media outlet, according to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum, operated under the Nazis and published their propaganda, including anti-Semitic material, and promoted the Waffen SS\u00a0\u201cGalician Division,\u201d\u00a0which was composed mostly of ethnic Ukrainians.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 The Ukraine Archival Records \/ Screenshot <\/p>\n
For years, Freeland rejected any claims that Chomiak had collaborated with the Nazis as \u201cRussian disinformation,\u201d although Canadian media, including The Globe and Mail, have reported she had known for decades about her grandfather\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Canadian police treating Nazi monument as war memorial \u2013 media<\/p>\n
During her tenure, Freeland also applauded a known Nazi in the Canadian parliament, later denying knowledge that the man could have had the same background as her grandfather.
\nShe also clashed with US President Donald Trump, who has called her a \u201cterrible person\u201d and a \u201cnasty woman.\u201d When Freeland resigned from the cabinet of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December, Trump celebrated the news, saying, \u201cShe will not be missed!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chrystia Freeland\u2019s grandfather edited a German-controlled newspaper during World War II, a fact she has attempted to dismiss as \u201cKGB propaganda\u201d Chrystia Freeland\u00a0has resigned as Canada\u2019s minister of transport to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t