Mark Carney all but says he’s running to be Canada’s next prime minister in a Jon Stewart interview
IT'S A SATIRE SHOW!
Canada 2020 Advisory Board Chair and former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England Mark Carney speaks during the Canada 2020 Net-Zero Leadership Summit in Ottawa, April 19, 2023.
Canada 2020 Advisory Board Chair and former Governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England Mark Carney speaks during the Canada 2020 Net-Zero Leadership Summit in Ottawa, April 19, 2023.
(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
January 14, 2025
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Former central banker Mark Carney all but said he is running to be Canada’s next prime minister during an appearance on Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’ on Monday night.
This follows Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement on Jan. 6 after facing an increasing loss of support both within his Liberal Party and across the country. He will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen on March 9.
“You are running as an outsider,” Stewart told Carney.
“I am outsider,” the experienced financier said.
Carney, 59, is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience, widely credited with helping Canada dodge the worst of the 2008 crisis while heading the country’s central bank. He also helped the U.K. manage Brexit as the first non-Brit to run the 319-year-old Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His selection won bipartisan praise in Britain.
“Let’s say the candidate wasn’t part of the government. Let’s say the candidate did have a lot of economic experience” Carney said. “Let’s say the candidate did deal with crisis. Let’s say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges.”
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Carney ‘s main contender for the leadership of the Liberal Party is ex-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau’s exit. Both are expected to declare their candidacy in the coming days.
The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump keeps calling Canada the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.
On the show, Carney said statehood won’t happen but the U.S. and Canada can be “friends with benefits,” generating laughter from the crowd.
Carney said Canada needed change as it faced an economic crisis with Canadians being very hard-pressed in the last few years because wages have not kept up with inflation and housing has become very expensive.
“Truth be told the government was not as focused on those issues as it could be,” he said. “We need to focus on them immediately. That can happen now and that is what this election will be about.”
The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals’ minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24.
Recent polls suggest the Liberals’ chances of winning the next election look slim. In the latest poll by Nanos, the Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 45% to 23%. Carney said a change in Liberal leadership would give the party a chance.
He also said opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre leader is “a lifelong politician” who “worships the market” but has never actually worked in the private sector.
Like other central bankers, Carney is a former Goldman Sachs executive. He worked for 13 years in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has both financial industry and government credentials.
Carney talks tariffs, Trump, Liberal leadership in Daily Show interview
By David Boles, The Canadian Press
By David Boles, The Canadian Press
January 14, 2025
Former governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney, who also served as governor of the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference in Ottawa, Thursday Nov. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
NEW YORK, Ont. — Mark Carney went on late-night television in the U.S. Monday to talk Trump, tariffs and carbon tax, but played coy on any plans to seek the Liberal leadership.
The former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart for a 20-minute sit-down interview.
On the issue of president-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that Canada become the 51st state, Carney and Stewart joked about the two countries being a dating couple that had hit a rough patch.
Carney said statehood is not going to happen but the U.S. and Canada can be “friends with benefits,” generating a roar of laughter from the crowd.
On Trump’s threat of tariffs, Carney said Canada needs to prepare for a trade dispute like it did the last time Trump was in office.
When asked about the carbon tax, Carney noted that much of Canada’s emissions come from the oil industry and that needs to be cleaned up rather than trying to change the way everyday Canadians live in a short period of time.
Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already been trying to paint the former top banker as a key architect of the Liberal carbon policy, calling him carbon tax Carney.
"For Canada, what we need to do is make sure that we're addressing these issues, doing our bit," said Carney.
"But we need to do it in a way that Canadians today are not paying the price."
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said in a statement that it was clear after Carney's "scripted appearance" on American television that he was "trying to rewrite history to convince Canadians that he is not responsible for the policies that he and Justin Trudeau forced on Canadians and caused them so much misery over the last nine years."
"Carbon Tax Carney is a hypocrite," Lantsman said. "He can’t hide from the truth. He’s just like Justin."
As a longtime Liberal insider, adviser, and chair of the economic growth task force, Lantsman said Carney was "the furthest thing possible from an outsider."
"He supported Trudeau’s massive inflationary deficits which caused a 40-year high in inflation," Lantsman said. "He praised the punishing Trudeau carbon tax, even calling it a model for the world in his book. He supported every single Trudeau policy that doubled the debt, doubled housing costs, doubled gun crime, and doubled food bank use."
While not explicitly stating he'd run for Liberal leader, Carney labelled himself an “outsider” in Canadian politics and didn’t reject Stewart’s attempts to pin him down.
A source said Monday that former finance minister Chrystia Freeland will announce a run for the leadership in the coming days.
Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis are the only two to officially join the contest.
The Liberal Party of Canada will choose its next leader March 9.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
David Boles, The Canadian Press
NEW YORK, Ont. — Mark Carney went on late-night television in the U.S. Monday to talk Trump, tariffs and carbon tax, but played coy on any plans to seek the Liberal leadership.
The former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart for a 20-minute sit-down interview.
On the issue of president-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that Canada become the 51st state, Carney and Stewart joked about the two countries being a dating couple that had hit a rough patch.
Carney said statehood is not going to happen but the U.S. and Canada can be “friends with benefits,” generating a roar of laughter from the crowd.
On Trump’s threat of tariffs, Carney said Canada needs to prepare for a trade dispute like it did the last time Trump was in office.
When asked about the carbon tax, Carney noted that much of Canada’s emissions come from the oil industry and that needs to be cleaned up rather than trying to change the way everyday Canadians live in a short period of time.
Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already been trying to paint the former top banker as a key architect of the Liberal carbon policy, calling him carbon tax Carney.
"For Canada, what we need to do is make sure that we're addressing these issues, doing our bit," said Carney.
"But we need to do it in a way that Canadians today are not paying the price."
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said in a statement that it was clear after Carney's "scripted appearance" on American television that he was "trying to rewrite history to convince Canadians that he is not responsible for the policies that he and Justin Trudeau forced on Canadians and caused them so much misery over the last nine years."
"Carbon Tax Carney is a hypocrite," Lantsman said. "He can’t hide from the truth. He’s just like Justin."
As a longtime Liberal insider, adviser, and chair of the economic growth task force, Lantsman said Carney was "the furthest thing possible from an outsider."
"He supported Trudeau’s massive inflationary deficits which caused a 40-year high in inflation," Lantsman said. "He praised the punishing Trudeau carbon tax, even calling it a model for the world in his book. He supported every single Trudeau policy that doubled the debt, doubled housing costs, doubled gun crime, and doubled food bank use."
While not explicitly stating he'd run for Liberal leader, Carney labelled himself an “outsider” in Canadian politics and didn’t reject Stewart’s attempts to pin him down.
A source said Monday that former finance minister Chrystia Freeland will announce a run for the leadership in the coming days.
Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis are the only two to officially join the contest.
The Liberal Party of Canada will choose its next leader March 9.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
David Boles, The Canadian Press
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