Mark Carney’s bid to be the next leader of the Liberal Party is off to a rocky start as the logo for his campaign has been called out for plagiarism.
Carney’s logo, which features a capital M in red with a maple leaf in white outlined at the bottom, appears eerily similar to the logo of MetCredit, an Alberta debt collecting firm with offices across the country.
Carney publicly launched his bid for leadership in Edmonton on Thursday, which was also met with controversy after independent media journalists were banned from attending the event.
While its likeness has already spurred much criticism online, True North reached out to MetCredit to get their perspective on the matter.
“I didn’t give them permission to use it, I’m not sponsoring their campaign and I’m not a Liberal,” MetCredit president and CEO Brian Summerfelt told True North. “The logo was trademarked in Canada in 2020 and in 2023 in the U.S.
Summerfelt has already contacted Carney’s campaign to express that the logo he created is “a little too close for comfort” and informed them to “cease using it.”
“I don’t know who is in charge of his campaign but they’re not doing their research,” said Summerfelt. “The funny thing is, he launched his campaign in Edmonton and we’re based in Edmonton.”
A number of users online lashed out at Carney’s campaign for the alleged stolen logo.
“Does it make sense Mark Carney stole his logo from a Canadian debt collection company? Mark Carney won’t even run first to be an MP – to serve people before he runs for Prime Minister,” wrote Conservative MP Ryan Williams.
“We need a Prime Minister who will put the people first, the common people, in the House of Commons, to put Canada and Canadians first for once, and for all.”
Mayor of Hempstead Jeremy Levi also responded to the controversy in a social media post, saying that Canada deserved better than “copy-paste leadership.”
“Mark Carney kicking off his campaign by swiping a debt collection firm’s logo? If this is his idea of originality, it’s not just a bad start—it’s a glaring red flag. Canada deserves better than copy-paste leadership,” wrote Levi.
Carney’s campaign did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
