Toronto: Former central banker Mark Carney has become the first major candidate to join the race to succeed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Carney, who was governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, formally announced his entry into the leadership race in Edmonton.
He also posted a brief message on X, stating: “I’m in.”
“I’m doing this because Canada is the best country in the world, but it could still be even better,” the 59-year-old said.
Carney was long courted by Trudeau to join his government and served as an economic adviser. The latest attempt, in December, had the effect of precipitating the shock resignation of then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
However, while touting his “outsider” status, he criticized the Trudeau government: “The Prime Minister and his team too often let their attention drift away from the economy. »
“The system is not working as it should, and it is not working as it could,” he said.
Facing the threat of tariffs from the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Carney cited his skills in handling the 2008 global financial crisis and Brexit. “I’m going to focus entirely on getting our economy back on its feet,” he said.
Carney was appointed head of the Bank of Canada in 2008 and at the end of that term he moved to London as Governor of the Bank of England and remained in that role until 2013.
He was chairman of Brookfield Asset Management and a member of the board of directors of Bloomberg. However, he said: “I have resigned from all my positions – period. I am all for Canada.
He chose Edmonton for the ad because it’s the city he grew up in.
The bio on his still-basic campaign website also said that in 2019 “he began serving as the United Nations’ special envoy for climate action and finance – helping to rally the world to building stronger economies as we fight climate change.”
Freeland, who is expected to be Carney’s main rival for leadership of the Liberal Party, could make clear her intention to run on Friday before launching a campaign on Sunday, Canadian media reported.
The Liberal leadership race was sparked by Trudeau’s announcement of his intention to resign earlier this month. The process will be completed by March 9, with the new leader having only about two weeks to prepare to face Parliament, which sits on March 24, after being prorogued.
With the ruling party trailing the Conservatives by at least 20 points in all recent polls, it’s no surprise that Carney also attacked his leader. “I’m not the usual suspect when it comes to politics, but now is not the time for politics as usual. This is not the time for long-time politicians like Pierre Poilievre.”
