Former Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney, who is tipped to enter the race for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, was interviewed on American late-night television on Monday. If he did not formalize his candidacy, he did not reject the host’s attempts to make him spill the beans.
Mr. Carney, who led the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, granted a twenty-minute interview to host Jon Stewart, from Daily Show. The two men discussed Donald Trump, the threat of tariffs and — of course — the Liberal leadership race.
After an overview of the political situation in Canada, for the benefit of American viewers, Mr. Stewart argued that it would be difficult for a candidate who was part of Justin Trudeau’s government in recent years to face Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in the next election, since he should defend the Liberals’ record.
Mr Carney then submitted a “hypothesis”.
“What would happen if the candidate was not part of the government? Let’s say the candidate had a lot of experience in economics, let’s say the candidate had faced crises before, let’s say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges that lie before us,” Mr. Carney said as the crowd began to applaud.
Mr. Stewart then mentioned: “You are launching yourself as an external candidate (“outsider” in English)! »
To which Mr. Carney replied: “I’m an ‘outsider,’” without going so far as to say he was taking the plunge.
The host tried several times to get Mr. Carney to say that he was going to enter the race to find the person who will succeed Justin Trudeau. Each time, Mr. Carney did not confirm, but he never denied it either.
Last week, The Canadian Press reported that Mr. Carney could confirm this week that he will put forward his candidacy. He has already informed his campaign team of his intentions.
The Liberal Party of Canada will choose its next leader on March 9. Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis are the only two who have confirmed they will be in the race so far.
A source told Monday The Canadian Press that former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland would announce her candidacy in the coming days.
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