Chrystia Freeland says she wants to 'build a Canada where young people see a great future' and calls on Canadians to 'rally' amid Trump's threats

Chrystia Freeland is getting serious about uniting Canadians. From encouraging young people about the future and expressing her love for romantasy books, to urging Canadians to unify and stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump, Freeland was honest and tenacious in a recent interview.

The 56-year-old former deputy prime minister and finance minister was the latest guest on the "Talking Fast" podcast hosted by Toronto-based creators Sarah Jenkins and Jacob Morris. In an episode released on Wednesday, Freeland — who's currently running to be the next Liberal Party leader and prime minister — opened up about all things Canada. Here's everything we learned from her conversation.

👥 She wants 'sincere and authentic' chats with people — even with opposing beliefs

Last month, Freeland officially confirmed she was entering the Liberal leadership race. The former journalist from Peace River, Alta., has since been on the campaign trail and chatting with numerous Canadians, and while she might not be Ottawa's top pick for the position, she noted her interactions with the public have been positive.

"I have great conversations with Canadians," Freeland said on the podcast, adding she lives her life like any other person who takes their kids to school, shops for groceries and rides public transit alone. "People approach me and I find those are my favourite conversations because they are very sincere and genuine and real."

Freeland said maybe one in a thousand of those chats might be with someone who "doesn't agree" with her. However, she noted she still sees the value in people who may have different beliefs but treat her with respect.

"Conversations like that are what gives us a social fabric that works and makes us a functional society," she said, adding we all must work harder at having "sincere and authentic" conversations with people who might have different beliefs.

"A house divided cannot stand. I'm not saying brush all our differences under the carpet. We need to have real conversations about those, but let's also say to each other, 'We all love Canada.' ... Yes, Canada has problems, but in our hearts, I think we know, '[We're] so lucky to live here,'" she shared.

🇺🇸 She says we need to take Trump 'really, really seriously'

During Trump's first term as U.S. president, Freeland was Canada's minister of foreign affairs, which included handling the relationship between both countries. "I take this administration extremely seriously," she noted. "It has always been my view that it's a mistake to sort of brush off what can seem like the intentional over-the-top outrageousness."

Freeland noted she wants to give Trump the respect that she sees him as a "very smart man with a very clear plan," adding the 78-year-old Republican has since had the time to think about what he wants to do with his second presidential term.

"He's talked with a lot of people, he has prepared a plan to execute and we need to take him really, really seriously," Freeland said.

🇨🇦 She's proud of Canadians for standing up for the country

After Trump first made comments about putting a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, Freeland said she realized the he was targeting Canada. It left her with an epiphany.

"I had and have utter confidence in Canadians. I think we are so much stronger than people think," she said. "I think we love our country so much more than people think. I think also we have a very deep confidence in our country's strength, and we're right to be confident."

After Trump announced his tariff plans and idea of Canada becoming a 51st state, Freeland praised the reaction of Canadians. In particular, she said she's proud people across the country have quickly told the U.S. president to "cut it out" and have focused on boosting Canada's economy.

"I am so proud of Canada and Canadians, and I am just so proud of the organic reaction. ... I'm proud of all the stores that are putting up signs saying, 'Don't buy this American thing, but the Canadian thing.' I'm proud of all the people who are saying, 'Actually, I'm going to go on holiday in Canada this year," she said.

"In this crisis, as a country, we need to find the opportunity. And I think the opportunity really is to unite, to remember how great our country is, to remember our strengths and maybe to get our act together and do some of the stuff that we know is a good thing to do."

📖 She's an avid reader who loves romantasy

When she's not focused on running in the Liberal leadership race, Freeland said she has always loved reading and has found it to be comforting. Every night, she tries to read for no longer than 15 minutes to try and calm down. Since she's at "peak adrenaline" in the leadership race, she's currently rereading some of her favourite titles.

Some of those books come from Canadian writers including Guy Gavriel Kay, whom she said writes "extremely smart, extremely well crafted and really enjoyable" novels, as well as Ian Hamilton, who created the "Ava Lee" series.

Additionally, she said she's a "proud romantasy reader" and that she likes to champion Canadian writers of the genre that blends romance and fantasy. That includes Calgary-bred writer Danielle L. Jensen who has written a Norse-inspired series, which Freeland plans to spend an afternoon in her kitchen reading corner cracking open Jensen's upcoming next book.

She also fangirled over Anne McCaffrey, who wrote the "Dragonriders of Pern" series. Freeland said she and her sister established a code from an error in one of McCaffrey's books they owned growing up in Alberta.

"When we were little girls in Peace River, we noticed the misprint and we agreed that it would be a code word that we would use if ever we were kidnapped or there was a spy situation or something," she quipped, adding they've also taught that word to their kids.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 She says having kids, a career and affordable housing must be a possibility

Amid Trump's planned tariffs on Canadian goods, Freeland said it's "absurd" there are barriers with inter-provincial trade and regulations. She stated one of her priorities is harmonizing rules — particularly around building new homes — across Canadian jurisdictions, but noted it's difficult work. Still, she aims to make the future of young Canadians both affordable and possible.

Using Toronto as an example, she said she wants the city — and Canada more broadly — to be vibrant and creative, where residents can see themselves getting their education, starting their careers and finding homes: "If you want to buy a place, you should be able to. You should be able to start a family if that's what you want to do. ... That must be open to young people, and it must be open to have a great career while you're doing it."

In the face of an economic threat from the U.S. and a cost-of-living crisis, Freeland said "we have to rally."

"I want us to seize from this crisis to build a Canada where young people see a great future for themselves and a future that is ... about having a wonderful life, having a great career, having wonderful children ... and buying a great place to live if that's what you want.

"We do not have that right now, and we need to treat that challenge with the same urgency that we are fighting for Canada and standing up to Trump."

🗳️ She says if you don't vote, you have 'no right to b—h'

In response to what she'd tell young people who don't vote, Freeland gave two perspectives, the first being more positive. She reminded Canadians about how lucky it is to live in a democracy and that people elsewhere in the world have to fight, sometimes fatally, for their rights.

"I think a lot about the war in Ukraine," Freeland, who has Ukrainian heritage, said. "Ukrainians, young Ukrainians, are going out and are dying because they're fighting for their sovereignty and for their democracy. So how lucky are we that you can actually decide who runs your country and how they do it, and you don't have to go to the trenches and dodge bullets."

On the other hand, Freeland gave a more stern message to people who choose to neither vote or get involved. "If you don't do those things, like you do not participate, if you do not exercise your democratic right to vote, ... if you don't care enough to exercise it, you have no right to b—h about anything."

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