Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says he has dropped all other titles and affiliations as he launched his campaign to lead the Liberal Party of Canada.
At a campaign launch in Edmonton Thursday, Carney presented himself as an “outsider” positioned to lead the Liberals into the next election and make the tough calls needed to correct the country’s course.
“I resigned all my roles, cut all my ties. I am all in. I am all in this fight because it is so fundamentally important,” he told reporters. “What I’m bringing from those experiences, and the previous experiences, Bank of Canada, Bank of England, fighting the financial crisis, helping to fix the global system…is to help Canada through this immediate crisis, but really to build the strongest economy in the G7.”
Carney launched his campaign in Edmonton, where he grew up, but was not prepared to commit to a specific riding in which he’d run as a member of Parliament in the next election.
Carney spent considerable time focusing on the “threat” posed to Canada by the incoming Trump administration and the potential for sweeping tariffs on Canadian exports.
Carney said the worst thing Canada could do would be to deploy Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to negotiate with Trump.
Carney also criticized Premier Danielle Smith for saying that restricting Alberta’s oil and gas exports to the U.S. was off the table, echoing comments made by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
He said Canada must build up its economy to be independent from the U.S. and remain united against the economic threats.
Carney defended his “outsider” bona fides when asked about his longstanding advisory roles with the Trudeau and the Liberal government.
“Big difference between being a member of the cabinet, a member of the caucus, the prime minister himself, and being someone who, occasionally, their advice is asked,” he said. “Look, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the president of France, other leaders ask for my advice. From time to time, I’ve provided advice to this government.”
He said that some of his advice was taken and some wasn’t, but he wouldn’t provide any specifics.
Carney hopes that his experience helping the U.K. and Canada recover their economies during crises will be enough for Canadians to choose him over CPC Leader Pierre Poilievre.
During the announcement, he said without evidence that Poilievre was seeking the endorsement of Trump and tech CEO Elon Musk.
When asked why he should be chosen over former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, he said he would run based on his merit to represent a “positive change” for Canada without taking swipes at Freeland.
The Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership race will conclude on Mar. 9.
