The launch of Mark Carney’s official campaign for Liberal Party leadership has been met with rave reviews from supporters and a number of behind-the-scenes surprises, including a malfunctioning teleprompter, a mysterious limousine reservation and police showing up on the scene. It also included some moments.
The launch took place in a hall at the Laurier Heights Community League in Edmonton that can seat about 140 people. The indoor space is next to the outdoor rink where Carney grew up playing hockey, a detail Carney talked about in his speech while trying to emphasize his Western roots.
As organizers filled the venue with supporters before Mr. Carney left, a former political opponent of Mr. Carney’s father entered and sat in the front row of the crowd.
Douglas Roche, a long-time Progressive Conservative MP, defeated Bob Carney, the Liberal candidate in south Edmonton, in the 1980 federal election.
Roche told CBC News he showed up to support Carney because he is “very concerned about the future of this country.”
“Never in my political career have I seen such a challenge to Canada’s integrity and future,” Roche said. “I think Mark Carney is the person who will unite our country and move it forward.”
Roche said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is “challenging Canada like never before” and it will be difficult to pull the “political pendulum” back toward the right. He said he believes the country will do well if Carney becomes prime minister because of his deep understanding of the economy.
technical issues
Carney’s speech begins, pitching the Liberals on why he thinks he can win the next election and take on Conservative leader Pierre Poièvre, despite not being the “usual suspects” when it comes to politics. At that time, Mr. Carney’s teleprompter crashed. one time.
CBC News saw the teleprompter restart and quickly scroll through his speech over and over again, trying to understand where he had been. During the glitch, Carney looked down at his notes and appeared to pace himself until the text caught up.
After months of speculation, former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has officially launched his campaign to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader, pledging to build the G7’s fastest-growing economy if elected.
Some, like Sebastien Perez of the Young Liberals at the University of Alberta, responded positively to Carney’s late speech, calling it “very heartfelt.”
“Especially right now, because there’s a lot of fast-paced energy going on,” Perez said. “Especially just his tone of voice really helped smooth things over. I think he’s one of the smartest people in this room.”
The teleprompter was just one of the problems at launch. before the door opens As journalists waited outside, a white limousine that looked like a Rolls Royce pulled into the parking lot.
The driver said he was picking up someone, but he didn’t know who it was. After about five minutes of facing questions and video cameras, the driver slowly backed out of the parking lot.
The limousine company later told CBC News they had no idea who had booked the vehicle, and all they had was the client’s phone number, which they said repeatedly went unanswered.
Carney’s campaign said it had nothing to do with the incident and did not know who was involved.
Police were also on the scene ahead of the event after Keane Bexte of Counter Signal and James Snell of Western Standard said organizers would not allow them inside the venue.
Bexte posted a video on social media telling police he was trespassing at the venue’s entrance and it was time to leave.
Although he is a well-known supporter, the public’s evaluation is mixed.
Inside the hall, a group of Liberal MPs lined up next to Carney during his speech. They include George Chahal (who helped organize the event), Ali Essassi and Samir Zuberi, who were among the Liberal MPs who called on Trudeau to resign during the opening ceremony. It was. Intra-party caucus revolt.
“I did my due diligence and looked at the different possibilities that were out there,” Zuberi said. “Mark Carney has experience and has proven he can navigate the economy in turbulent times.”
At Liberal Party leader Mark Carney’s announcement in Edmonton, Liberal MPs George Chahal, Sameer Zuberi, Salma Zahid, Brendan Hanley and Ali Essassi said the former Bank of Canada governor should be the next party leader. I explained why I think so.
The venue was packed with supporters, including Carney’s two brothers and friends like John Hecker, whom he met while attending nearby St. Francis Xavier High School.
Mr. Hecker said he has known Mr. Carney for 45 years and was a groomsman at Mr. Carney’s wedding.
He said if anyone witnessed Carney’s surprise appearance. daily show They spoke with Jon Stewart earlier this week and said they saw “his sense of humor and wit” and thought he “could do a lot for our country.”
“I think he feels just as comfortable sitting down and talking to you and me as he does talking to King Charles,” Hecker told CBC News. “He’s really genuine and down to earth.”
But while Mr. Carney’s supporters were enthusiastic, people on the streets of Edmonton had mixed reactions. Some people didn’t know who Mr. Carney was. A woman on the bus told CBC News she didn’t like the fact that Mr. Carney is a banker, and a hotel worker loading luggage into his car said he might vote Liberal for the first time because of Mr. Carney. Ta.
Ben Gronberg, a city councilor in Devon, a small oil city south of Edmonton, said he sees “F. Trudeau stickers” on vehicles when he drives into Edmonton. He said it may be difficult to convince the public that Mr. Carney is different from Mr. Trudeau.
“I don’t know how easily he’s going to be able to convince Albertans and the rest of the West to see him as separate from the Liberal Party,” Gronberg said.
One of Carney’s biggest opponents in the race is former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland. Saturday campaign video He has experience running against Mr. Trump and is pitching himself as a “tough negotiator” who has promised to “fight for Canada.”
Carney is a longtime friend of Freeland’s and the godfather of her son.
