Freeland to make Canada’s policy towards Russia more effective – expert

Simon Palamar, the research associate at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), expressed his opinion in the article for iPolitics portal.

"By making Chrystia Freeland Canada’s foreign minister, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made an adroit move that stands to make Canada’s policy towards Russia more effective," Palamar wrote.

He added that Freeland’s willingness to take risks would be necessary when dealing with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"Typically, being persona non grata in a foreign country is not a qualification for being a foreign minister. However, promoting Freeland to Foreign Affairs bodes well for Canada’s policy towards Russia. Her willingness to take risks, and to selectively use anger and frustration to punctuate a message, will serve her well when dealing with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov," reads an article.

According to the author, Canada can cooperate with Russia on certain issues and hold the opposite position on others, but it needs a skillful messenger.

"There’s no reason why Ottawa can’t demonstrate to the Kremlin that it’s serious about the international rule of law — and closing the book on Putin’s imperial ambitions — while working cooperatively in areas of mutual interest. But it will take a messenger who won’t shy away from confrontation, and who is willing to get angry when it matters. Chrystia Freeland has shown she’s unafraid to call Russian aggression what it is — which means she might just be the person for the job," Palamar noted.

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