Freeland on the hot seat

Re: Is Freeland feeling the burden of office, John Ivison, Sept. 17

Since the new NAFTA was negotiated, Chrystia Freeland has been touted as the front-runner to succeed Justin Trudeau, whenever that day comes. The appointment as Deputy Prime Minister seemed to signal that she had been given the seal of approval from above. She has made no secret of her ambition, and it was widely known that she wanted the job as finance minister as the stepping stone to the top job.

In a sense, the stakes are now much higher for Freeland than they are for Trudeau. If the voters and the business leaders don't like what they hear in the throne speech, it can always be dismissed as Trudeau simply being Trudeau. Except this government has already lost one finance minister for many reasons not the least of which was his being at odds with Trudeau in terms of policy. If the direction presented in the throne speech doesn't go over well it is Freeland who will have to bear the brunt of the fallout.

Jeff Spooner, Kinburn, Ont.