A federal Liberal leadership run could be in the cards for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Mr. Carney, in an interview with the Globe and Mail, described a future run for the top Liberal spot as a possibility but added that “it’s not a decision that I need to take now.”
The former Bank of Canada governor has long been regarded as a suitable candidate by Liberal Party members, but with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau already committed to running as the Liberal Party leader in the 2025 federal election, he wouldn’t be able to make a bid for the leadership for some time.
Mr. Carney, currently the United Nations special envoy on climate action, was a guest speaker at two climate summits in Ottawa this week. Although he supported the prime minister’s climate change policy, he was critical of Mr. Trudeau’s decision to pause the carbon tax on heating oil.
“I very much want Canada to be at the forefront of this transition, for Canada and for Canadians,” Mr. Carney told the Globe and Mail. “There’s every reason why we should be. And so I’ll lean in where I can to help out in Canada.”
His criticism also extended to the climate change plans of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, although he didn’t mention him by name.
“You have to have a plan, not slogans,” he said. “We need to continue to raise the bar here in Canada and if you know a party is coming in front of Canadians, whenever the next election is, without a plan, with just slogans, that’s irresponsible.”
“You can have in effect slogans that sound good, that sound appealing, that ultimately are detrimental,” he added.
Mr. Carney’s words come as national polls show the Conservatives have a double-digit lead over the Liberals in every province except Quebec.
Mr. Poilievre referenced Mr. Carney during question period Nov. 2, calling him “the future leader.”
“Mark Carney says he’s against the about-face [on the carbon tax exemption on heating oil] and he has the support of Gerald Butts [Trudeau’s former top adviser],” Mr. Poilievre said.
“Even the Liberals agree that this prime minister is not worth the cost. Is it only Mark Carney who can save the Liberal government?”
Mr. Carney, who is currently the chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, is also the former governor of the Bank of England. He said his extensive business experience gives him a major advantage over the competition.
“I’m the one in the conversation who’s actually been in business, who actually is in business, and makes decisions,” he said. “You tend to see people who often are lifelong politicians have a very simplistic view of markets. They don’t understand how decisions are really made. They don’t understand how things are interconnected.”
Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
