Days before the anticipated start of the Liberal Party leadership campaign, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has announced that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign will undermine the party’s chances in the next general election. said that it will increase.
“I think it gives the Liberals a chance,” Carney said in an interview on “The Daily Show” Monday night when host Jon Stewart asked him directly.
Following days of speculation since Prime Minister Trudeau announced his resignation last week, sources tell CTV News Edmonton that Carney is expected to: Start campaigning in Edmonton on Thursday.
Mr. Carney grew up in Edmonton, where his father, Bob Carney, ran for the federal Liberal Party in the Edmonton South election in 1980, finishing second to Progressive Conservative Douglas Roche.
Asked repeatedly by Mr. Stewart whether he intended to run to be the next Liberal leader, Mr. Carney did not answer directly, at one point saying, “I’m just starting to think about it,” and later saying, “You’re very shy.” That’s right,” he joked. I love chasing. ”
In the interview, Carney acknowledged that Canadians have faced many challenges over the past few years, including housing affordability and inflation.
“The truth is, the government hasn’t focused on these issues as much as they could have. We need to focus on these issues immediately, and that could happen now,” Carney said.
Amid these political challenges, Stewart joked that he was running against the wind, adding: “It’s really hard for a candidate to win when there are headwinds like that.”
But in response, Mr. Carney seemed to be referring to his own resume.
“Let’s say the candidate wasn’t part of government. Let’s say the candidate had a lot of economic experience. Let’s say the candidate addressed prices. Let’s say the candidate had a plan to address the challenges here. “Let’s say,” Mr. Carney quipped.
Immediately afterwards, Mr. Carney was asked if he was running as an outsider, and he simply answered, “I am an outsider.”
The Liberal Party is scheduled to elect its next leader on March 9, and candidates must declare their intention to run by January 23.
Mr Carney’s political ambitions had been rumored for months before Mr Trudeau’s resignation.
Last summer, Prime Minister Trudeau admitted to reporters that he had spoken with Carney about joining federal politics, and in late September he appointed former central bank chief Carney as special economic adviser to the Liberal Party.
And last month, Liberal Party officials told CTV News that Trudeau intended to replace former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland with Carney. The decision to remove Mr. Freeland from the financial portfolio led to his abrupt resignation on Dec. 16, just hours before the release of the fall economic statement, and ultimately to Mr. Trudeau’s own resignation.
Will Carney keep the consumer carbon tax?
Asked about the “political feasibility” of fighting climate change and whether policies like a consumer carbon tax would make it more difficult for him to run for Congress, Mr. Carney controversially said: All he said was that he supported this plan.
“We need to do it in a way that doesn’t come at a cost to Canadians today,” Carney said.
Carney also mentioned reducing emissions in the oil and gas sector.
“The majority of emissions in Canada come from our industry. In fact, almost 30% of emissions from Canada come from oil production and transportation to the United States…so Cleaning them up and recovering them is part of that.” Reducing emissions is about more than just changing the way Canadians live in the short term. ”
The consumer carbon tax was implemented in 2019 under the Trudeau government, but has become unpopular with Canadians. The Conservative Party, which has promised to “cut taxes,” has used this policy to attack the Liberal Party for years. The tax has also received significant opposition from most premiers, including Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberal Premier Andrew Furey, and some Liberal MPs have expressed a desire to abolish it.
In April, carbon prices are set to rise from $80 to $95 per tonne in states covered by the federal backstop, with drivers paying an extra 3.3 cents per liter to use the pump. It turns out. The tax is scheduled to increase by another $15 each year until it reaches $170 per tonne in 2030. To offset the costs, Canadians covered by the backstop will receive quarterly payments known as the “Canada Carbon Rebate.”
Mr. Carney has an extensive background in addressing climate change, currently serving as Head of Transition Investments at Brookfield Asset Management and the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance.
Carney and Poièvre say they see “opportunity in tragedy”
During the 20-minute interview, Stewart brought up Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre, whom he described as “the bad guy in The Best Kid.”
Mr Carney was asked by Mr Stewart what the opposition leader really was like, and he replied: “Not far off.”
“Canada has Poièvres, lifelong politicians, the type of politicians who tend to worship the market, who have never really worked in the private sector and who see opportunity in tragedy,” Carney said. I’m finding it,” he said.
Mr. Carney also accused Mr. Poièvre of trying to take advantage of Canadians’ post-pandemic vulnerability.
“Pierre Poièvre, when COVID-19 started, his response was that now is a good time to cut spending and cut taxes. Everybody is just being thrown out of work. Everybody. They don’t have jobs, so let’s cut taxes on the jobs they don’t have. And when everyone is vulnerable, let’s strip them of their social safety nets,” Carney said.
CTV News has reached out to Poièvre’s office for comment.
Freeland is also a leadership candidate who has not yet officially entered the race. Regardless of who wins, the House of Representatives will reconvene on March 24, and the party could participate in the next election as early as this spring. All three opposition parties have vowed to introduce a motion of no confidence in the minority Liberal government at the earliest opportunity.
