Carney Tees Up ‘Outsider’ Bid to Lead Canada on The Daily Show
(Bloomberg) -- Former central banker Mark Carney all but launched his bid to replace Justin Trudeau and lead the Liberal Party of Canada in a late-night talk show appearance on The Daily Show.
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Host Jon Stewart likened the difficult election prospects of Canada’s ruling Liberals with those experienced by US Democrats, who lost the White House and control of the Senate after voters blamed them for a rise in the cost of living.
Carney replied: “Just throwing out a wild hypothetical. Let’s say the candidate wasn’t part of the government, let’s say the candidate did have a lot of economic experience, let’s say the candidate did deal with crises, let’s say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges in the here and now.”
“I am an outsider!” he added.
That will be hotly disputed by the opposition Conservative Party, whose leader, Pierre Poilievre, has already said Carney is “just like” Trudeau and that the banker endorsed the Liberals’ controversial carbon tax. The Conservatives plan to make that tax a central issue in a national election this year.
Carney, 59, hinted to Stewart that he might distance himself from the government’s approach of a universal levy on emissions that consumers pay up front and then can receive a rebate on.
“We need to do it in a way that Canadians today are not paying the price” on tackling climate change, he said. He said part of the answer is cleaning up industrial emissions “more than changing in a very short period of time the way Canadians live.”
The former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor said Canadians have suffered in recent years as wages have fallen behind inflation, housing is expensive, and there are broader concerns about living in a more divided and dangerous world.
“Truth be told, the government has been not as focused on those issues as it could be. We need to focus on them immediately, that can happen now, and that’s what this election is going to be about.”
He also previewed attack lines against Poilievre, dismissing a type of “lifelong politician” who will “worship the market” but hasn’t worked in the private sector. Carney compared it to politics he saw during the Brexit debate as governor of the Bank of England.
Poilievre’s Conservatives are 27 points ahead of the Liberals in a new Nanos Research Group poll that was taken after Trudeau announced his resignation on Jan. 6.
“Carney is the furthest thing possible from an outsider,” said Melissa Lantsman, Conservative Party deputy leader, in a statement. “He supported Trudeau’s massive inflationary deficits, which caused a 40-year high in inflation.”
Carney currently holds a portfolio of private sector and nonprofit roles including as chairman of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. and of Bloomberg Inc.
He is poised to officially launch his bid this week, Bloomberg News reported on Jan. 10, and expected to make the announcement in Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday, according to The Hill Times.
Carney praised cabinet ministers Melanie Joly and Dominic LeBlanc for not running because of the urgent threat of large tariffs from President-elect Donald Trump, who said he’ll use “economic force” against Canada and that he thinks it should be a US state.
The Liberal leadership contest concludes on March 9, with the winner becoming prime minister. Rival parties have promised to topple the government with a vote of non-confidence soon after Parliament returns on March 24.
--With assistance from Brian Platt.
(Adds statement from Conservative Party in paragraph 12.)
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