Freeland has 'confidence,' but wouldn’t say whether PM has promised her job is safe

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says she feels that she has the confidence she needs to carry on in her role as finance minister, but won't say whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered her any specific assurances.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says she feels that she has the confidence she needs to carry on in her role as finance minister, but won't say whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered her any specific assurances.

"To serve as minister in a cabinet you do need the support and confidence of the prime minister… in order to do my job effectively… I do have to feel that I have that confidence," Freeland told reporters in Markham, Ont. on Tuesday.

"What I will say to everyone here, speaking for myself, is I do have the confidence that I need to do my job effectively."

Last week, citing unnamed sources, The Globe and Mail reported that senior officials in Trudeau's office were concerned about Freeland's economic communications chops, citing a rising tension between the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Freeland's office.

Speaking for the first time since the reporting surfaced, Freeland largely deferred comment to Trudeau, who she called "a very eloquent guy," who is capable of speaking for himself.

Trudeau has said he continues to have "full confidence" in Freeland, who he's called "a close friend, an ally, and partner in doing really big things for Canada."

The two top Canadian officials have spent considerable time together over the last few days – both at events over the weekend in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Ottawa on Monday – where Freeland said the pair had time to speak at length.