Liberal leadership: Ex-BoC governor Carney insists Trudeau will lead party into next election
Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney insists Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will still be the leader of the Liberal Party going into the next federal election, throwing cold water on years of rumours he is considering a run himself for the party’s leadership.
Carney — who now works as the head of transition investing for Brookfield Asset Management, and as a United Nations special envoy on climate action and finance — told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an exclusive interview airing Sunday, he “care(s) deeply†about Canada.
But he wouldn’t say directly whether he plans to go into politics, when asked whether he’s ruled out a run for the Liberal Party leadership.
“It's easy not to rule out something that doesn't exist,†Carney said. “So we're in the hypothetical of hypothetical.â€
But when pressed on the persistent speculation over his political aspirations and the fact he has never outright denied any rumours, Carney said he hopes he has “a few years left in (him).â€
“But let's be clear about the near term,†he continued. “We've been rightly talking about issues in the medium term, but in the near term, the prime minister is going to be the leader of the Liberal Party in the next election. And I support him.â€
Trudeau has repeatedly insisted he plans to lead the party into the next federal election, which is currently scheduled for October 2025, but speculation over whether he’ll step down before then have persisted.
This week, Liberal MP Ken McDonald set in motion a wave of questions over whether it’s time for a leadership review, saying Trudeau may have reached his “best-before dateâ€. He later walked back the comments, saying calling for a review was not the “intent.â€
Carney, a card-carrying Liberal, has also long fielded speculation over whether he wants the party’s top job.
In a previous interview with Kapelos for CTV’s Question Period in April of last year, Carney dodged the question, saying he thinks the party is “on the right track,†and he “support(s) the prime minister.â€
But he also told The Globe and Mail last November that he hadn’t ruled out a bid for the party’s leadership.
In this week’s interview with Kapelos, Carney said the focus should be on the more pressing issues facing Canadians, including the cost of living, housing, decarbonisation, and competition in major industries.
Kapelos then asked Carney whether his ideas about the kinds of policies the federal government could pursue means he may be interested in a cabinet position in the Trudeau government.
“Well, look, you don't just hand out positions as cabinet ministers, but you do out hand out gratuitous advice, which is what I've been doing,†he said. “And look, I care. This is my country, I care deeply about it.â€
“I've had the honour of serving in roles here both in the public service and as (Bank of Canada) governor, and this is a time of consequence. These are big, big issues,†he added. “We've been touching on the reshaping of the global economy, where Canada is going, and how we deliver for Canadians today and tomorrow. And there's various ways to contribute to that, and I always look for opportunities to do that.â€
Carney in his interview also discussed the country’s economic outlook following this week’s Bank of Canada decision to hold the key interest rate steady at five per cent, where it’s been since last June.
He and Kapelos also delved into Canada’s immigration levels and their impact on the economy and housing affordability, and the federal government’s climate policy, specifically the carbon price.
You can watch Carney’s full interview on CTV’s Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.
With files from CTV’s Question Period Senior Producer Stephanie Ha
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player with 50 homers, 50 stolen bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.