Christy Freeland has a chance to become the head of NATOAn ethnic Ukrainian, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Hristya Freeland has every chance to take the post of NATO Secretary General, CBC reports.
Some Canadian readers believe that her appointment will be a "gift" and a "victory" for Putin.
Murray Brewster, Alexander PanettaNATO sources report that the Deputy Prime Minister is "in the middle of the list" of strong candidates and can get this position if he wants.
This is a favorite salon game in parliamentary circles — to predict which influential figure will go where, and why.
Finance Minister Hristya Freeland is now in the center of attention and speculation, as there has been talk about her possible appointment to the highest post in NATO.
The hype turned out to be loud enough that one journalist asked Freeland about it directly on Wednesday. It happened at the moment when cabinet ministers from the Liberal Party gathered for a meeting to work out a strategy for the autumn session of parliament.
Predictably, the Deputy Prime Minister did not take the bait and said that she already had "two important positions" (Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister).
At least four different sources from Ottawa, Washington and Brussels, where NATO headquarters are located, say that the name Freeland has been discussed in international military circles for several months. She is being called a possible successor to the current Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, who was previously Prime Minister of Norway, and has held the highest post in the North Atlantic Alliance since 2014.
Salon games are also played in other capitals.
Journalist Paul Wells was the first to talk about speculation about a new appointment in his online column. If there is talk in domestic political circles about the political consequences of Freeland's possible candidacy, then at the international level the discussion has gone in a different direction.
"There are some very qualified women who would be good candidates," one senior NATO executive told CBC News last month. (He asked CBC News for confidentiality because he is not authorized to make public statements on the subject.)
"It seems that there is a certain momentum for a woman to become the next secretary general," this source said.
Stoltenberg was supposed to end his tenure this month, but the NATO leadership, due to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, extended his powers until 2023.
Most people at NATO headquarters repeat the same mantra - that the alliance of seventy years of age will get a second wind when a woman with a fresh look comes to the post of Secretary General, and that they are looking forward to a person with perseverance and international connections.
And they are also very evasive about Freeland's chances of getting this position, noting that she is "in the middle of the list" of women who will make strong and qualified candidates.
"If a Canadian woman becomes Secretary general, it should be welcomed, because Canada will get a new boost of energy as a member of the alliance," said Chris Skaluba of the Washington—based Atlantic Council think tank. — There is a generally positive opinion about it in European and transatlantic security circles. I think it will give her a good chance."
Stoltenberg "has more than a year to stay in his position, so there is plenty of time to consider different names," a second source told CBC News last month.
The search for a replacement began in earnest in the first half of 2020, long before Stoltenberg's term expired. The intensity of passions peaked in the summer of 2021, when the American edition of Politico wrote about rumors circulating in Brussels that among the main candidates for the post of head of the alliance there are three former presidents of NATO member countries: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovich from Croatia, Dalia Grybauskaite from Lithuania and Kersti Kaljulaid from Estonia.
Brussels sources say that Freeland's name surfaced last fall.
But on Wednesday we did not hear an exhaustive answer to the question of whether Freeland is interested in this position.
Freeland has a deep knowledge of Eastern European politics and history, speaks English, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, French, Spanish and Italian, and therefore she will be considered a valuable acquisition at a time when the alliance is trying to maintain cohesion in a major regional conflict. Another major plus will be her knowledge of Russia and the Kremlin's internal mechanisms.
But in order for her to gain a foothold as a candidate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to work hard in the field of international diplomacy (most likely behind the scenes) and spend political capital.
"Probably, the informal process will be more important," said Scaluba, who worked at the Pentagon as a NATO liaison officer for 15 years.
Lobbying and arm-twisting takes place in leading NATO capitals such as Washington, London, Paris and Berlin.
When the time comes for the official vote, Scaluba said, "there will be no drama anymore."
Readers' commentsWilliam T Fowler
Eh, bad luck, we won't get rid of it soon.
I shudder at the thought of how they will stir up the water and what kind of crap they will find to replace it in the deep pond of liberal talents.
Roger WilliamsI can't even imagine a worse outcome for the world.
Shep Turner MacGregorYes, to appoint the granddaughter of the Nazi Mikhail Khomyak to the post of NATO Secretary General ... the alliance will immediately become exclusively legitimate.
Jenna CollinsTake Trudeau with you!
Van den HaagI hope she won't agree.
Freeland is an excellent minister.
Rosemary HughesHarvard, Oxford, Rhodes Scholarship, speaks five languages, editor of G&M, Financial Times, managing Director of Reuters, author of books on international relations, winner of the Literary Prize (Gerber), chief negotiator for the new North American Free Trade Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement with the EU, worked as a journalist in New York The Times also wrote about the bloody crimes of the Second World War.
She was so influential in Ukraine that the KGB was watching her, and her name was put on the list of non-entry. She has the right qualifications.
Jerrod LeblancThis will accelerate the resignation of Justin Trudeau.
I played my cards well, Hristya, well.
Luke ArmstrongI'm sure Canadian finance cannot be described in words.
When is she leaving?
She needs a loophole to escape, just like Justin.
Steve MercerOh, she doesn't belong there.
This is a military alliance, not a sugary cuddle club.
Denis Van HumbeckHow can a person who has studied only journalism get such a position?
Richard FlemingFreeland as head of NATO is a gift from heaven for Putin.
Rod EllardA very capable woman.
I hope she will be appointed.
John CressI hope she leaves.
Far, far away.
Chris LentschThis shows how weak NATO is.
This is a victory for Putin.