A big, warm Transatlantic welcome to Catherine Tsalikis, whose book, Chrystia: From Peace River to Parliament Hill, chronicling the extraordinary life and achievements of the most powerful woman in Canadian politics, Chrystia Freeland, will be published by House of Anansi Press (World, deal by Marilyn Biderman and Rob Firing). Catherine has covered foreign policy and politics for more than a decade, often through the lens of gender equality, reporting from Ottawa, New York, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo, among other places.
After completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics, she worked as an editorial assistant for The World Today magazine, published by Chatham House, and as a politics producer for London’s Sky News. In Toronto, she has worked as a producer for the CBC’s fifth estate and CTV News Channel.
Most recently, she spent five years as the senior editor for OpenCanada.org, an award-winning international affairs site published by the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Her features often highlighted women who have broken barriers, have overcome obstacles, and who are working to change the status quo. They were some of OpenCanada’s most-read content ever, garnering tens of thousands of pageviews, including those from cabinet ministers, ambassadors, United Nations officials, subject experts, and colleagues in the journalism field. You’ll find Catherine on twitter @CatTsalikis, and here’s the link to her website: www.catherinetsalikis.com. Catherine is represented by Marilyn Biderman and Rob Firing.
More about Chrystia: From Peace River to Parliament Hill
Chrystia is the story of the most powerful woman in Canadian politics: Chrystia Freeland, currently Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister. Her journey has been a remarkable one, from the Northwestern Alberta town of Peace River, where she grew up, to Moscow, London, and New York, where she spent two decades as an intrepid journalist, to the hallowed halls of Parliament Hill, where her star in government keeps rising.
Ambitious and talented with a work ethic to match, Freeland has been called “the minister of everything.” Few would be surprised if she were to become the next leader of the Liberal Party – or the next prime minister of Canada.
With impeccable research, seasoned perspective and accessible style, Catherine Tsalikis brings Chrystia Freeland’s story to life.
“When I first read Catherine’s proposal there was no hesitation; she is a trailblazing journalist writing about a trailblazing politician and this book is a detailed, balanced, and lively portrait of a formidable leader.” — Michelle MacAleese, House of Anansi Senior Managing Editor
“I’ve spent years covering women in politics and foreign policy, and throughout all my reporting, Chrystia Freeland has fascinated me the most. In a few short years, she has become an indispensable force in Justin Trudeau’s government — a fixer, a negotiator par excellence, the “minister of everything” — and her star seems set to continue to rise. As I looked deeper into her life, I discovered a remarkable personality, shaped equally by her Peace River roots and her deep ties to Ukraine. The more I learned about her, the more I knew I wanted to provide Canadians with an in-depth look at her upbringing, the experiences that have shaped her worldview, and what kind of national leader she might make.” — Catherine Tsalikis
Veteran foreign-policy journalist Catherine Tsalikis is available for comment and interview on current events in advance of publication.