OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday named his deputy, Chrystia Freeland, as the country’s new finance minister and said he would suspend parliament until Sept. 23 as he attempts to turn the page on conflict-of-interest allegations that have weighed heavily on his support this summer.
Mr. Trudeau said the suspension would allow his government to return next month with a new plan for addressing the coronavirus pandemic and economic recovery. That plan, which Mr. Trudeau hinted would include aggressive spending measures, would be subject to an immediate vote, giving the opposition parties—which hold a majority of seats in the legislature—a chance to defeat the Liberal government and trigger an election.
“We need to reset the approach of this government for a recovery,” Mr. Trudeau said in a press conference. He said that would involve “big, important decisions, and we need to present that to parliament and gain the confidence of parliament to move forward on this ambitious plan.”
Ms. Freeland’s appointment comes after the outgoing finance minister, Bill Morneau, announced his resignation on Monday. Ms. Freeland, a former financial journalist and close Trudeau ally, was Canada’s lead representative during the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and became deputy prime minister after the Liberal government’s re-election last year.
She was also responsible for intergovernmental affairs, a role that saw her in near-constant communication with the leaders of some of Canada’s biggest provinces, and since March has led a cabinet committee tasked with responding to the new coronavirus pandemic. She is the first woman to be appointed finance minister at the federal level in Canada.