Trudeau taps byelection star Chrystia Freeland for economic advice

OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau has tapped star byelection candidate Chrystia Freeland to help craft economic policy for the Liberal platform in 2015.

The Liberal leader has faced criticism for refusing to offer detailed economic plans before the next election.

But he’s sticking to his position that detailed policies should be developed only after extensive consultation with Canadians, not handed down from on high.

To that end, he’s created a council of economic advisers to consult experts and engage ordinary folks in the development of policies aimed at improving the lot of the struggling middle class.

He has named Freeland — the Liberals’ newly chosen candidate for the coming byelection in Toronto Centre — as co-chair of the council.

Freeland is a journalist who last year published an internationally acclaimed book, Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-rich and the Fall of Everyone Else.