Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running for the federal leadership for the Liberal Party of Canada.
Carney is presently the chair of Brookfield Asset Management and the United Nations special envoy on climate action. Carney was also the governor of the Bank of England.
“It’s not a decision that I need to take now,” said Carney in an interview with the Globe and Mail.
Carney has been considered a viable candidate for many years by Liberal party members.
The next federal election is scheduled for 2025 and already Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to running as the Liberal party leader.
However, Trudeau’s public support has dipped dramatically over the years and has consistently fallen behind Conservative leader Pierre Poilievere in the polls when it comes to voting preference.
Liberal party fundraising has also dropped off since Trudeau recommitted to leading his party into the next election.
On Wednesday, a call for Trudeau to step down as party leader came from Percy Downe, a senator and former chief of staff to Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien.
In a National Newswatch op-ed, Downe said Trudeau’s resignation would be a “prudent course of action.”
Carney, who has previously never run for political office, said he would also consider putting his name on the ballot to be an MP.
Carney spoke at two climate summits this week in Ottawa, where he lauded Trudeau’s government for their policies on climate change but also criticized the government’s move to pause the carbon tax.
“I very much want Canada to be at the forefront of this transition. For Canada and for Canadians. There’s every reason why we should be. And so, I’ll lean in where I can, to help out in Canada,” Carney told the Globe and Mail.
Without mentioning him directly, Carney also criticized Poilievre’s approach to climate change, saying that more than just slogans needed to be done on the environment front.
“You have to have a plan, not slogans,” said Carney. “We need to continue to raise the bar here in Canada and if you know a party is coming in front of Canadians, whenever the next election is, without a plan, with just slogans, that’s irresponsible.”
Despite this, most national polls show more Canadians are turning towards the Conservatives, they currently hold a double-digit lead over the Liberals in every region except Quebec.
“You can have in effect slogans that sound good, that sound appealing, that ultimately are detrimental,” said Carney. “I’m the one in the conversation who’s actually been in business, who actually is in business, and makes decisions,” added Carney.
“I’m not a lifelong politician. You tend to see people who – often – are lifelong politicians have a very simplistic view of markets. They don’t understand how decisions are really made. They don’t understand how things are interconnected.”
