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Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney has all but confirmed he is planning on running to be the next Liberal Party leader, and thus next prime minister.
Like his friend and ally Justin Trudeau in recent days, he chose to discuss the matter not with the Canadian media, but with left-wing US political activist Jon Stewart on The Daily Show in New York.
During the 20-minute interview, Carney, who has advised Trudeau on economic policy since September last year, joked with his host about Canada and the US having a “friends with benefits” relationship.
He also rejected the idea that Canada could join the USA, which has been mentioned numerous times by President-elect Donald Trump.
Carney, who was thrown a series of softballs by his admiring interviewer, attacked Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre, with the duo hinting at a similarity between Canada’s leader of the opposition and Trump. Stewart said Poilievre resembled "a villain" and was "very off-putting," prompting Carney to reply: "You're not far off."
Carney – a highly controversial figure in the UK, where some accuse him of an unprecedented political intervention during the Brexit referendum when he was Bank of England governor – also compared Poilievre to British politicians who campaigned to leave the European Union and accused him of seeing "opportunity in tragedy."
Melissa Lantsman, the Tories' deputy leader, said in a statement sent to NowMedia that "Carbon Tax Carney" had made "a scripted appearance last night on American television" in an attempt 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."
She added: "He supported Trudeau’s massive inflationary deficits which caused a forty-year high in inflation. He praised the punishing Trudeau carbon tax, even calling it a model for the world in his book." Echoing her leader, she also said Carney is a "hypocrite" and "just like Justin."
Carbon Tax Carney is a hypocrite.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 13, 2025
He opposed Canadian pipelines that would have gotten our energy to world markets but supports pipelines in foreign countries.
Squashing Canadian energy projects while boosting oil from dirty dictators.
He's Just Like Justin:… pic.twitter.com/dJXl90GhXt
The central banker, who is not an MP, was asked by Stewart about the carbon tax, with Carney emphasizing the importance of cutting emissions from Canada’s oil sector.
But he also said it was crucial that “Canadians today are not paying the price” for environmental policies, adding that "wages have not kept up with inflation" and highlighting that "Canadians have been very hard-pressed in recent years."
On his widely reported leadership bid – which has not yet been officially announced – Carney joked about a "wild hypothetical" of a candidate with economic experience running for Liberal leader, in a clear reference to himself.
The Liberals are set to pick their next leader on March 9.
Chrystia Freeland and Francois-Philippe Champagne are both widely rumoured to be among the contenders.
But a number of big names in the party, including Melanie Joly and Anita Anand, have bowed out of the contest.
As of Tuesday, only two Liberals have put themselves forward – ex-MP Frank Baylis and Ottawa MP Chandra Arya.