Freeland resignation: Source says PMO was blindsided [Video]

The first time anyone in the senior ranks of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office got any indication Chrystia Freeland was about to resign from cabinet was just two hours before she made the announcement on social media, a senior government source tells CTV News.

Freeland learned she was losing the finance portfolio in a Friday morning Zoom call with the prime minister.

His team moved through the rest of the day and weekend under the impression Freeland would take on a new position as the government’s point person on Canada-U.S. relations and retain her title as deputy prime minister, according to the source who has close knowledge of the events.

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Freeland’s team and senior staffers in the Prime Minister’s Office continued to exchange messages over the weekend, in which the source told CTV News Freeland’s team again gave no …