On January 6, 2025, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he was resigning as leader of the Liberal Party, but would remain Prime Minister until a new leader was elected. Many names are circulating to succeed him. Among these, that of his special advisor and former governor of the Bank of Canada: Mark Carney. The question therefore arises: in the event of victory, can he become leader and lead his party to the next elections or to those which will take place in 4 years?
By Nicolas Drolet, contributing columnist
I do not deny that Mr. Carney has a lot of experience in economics and management. However, it is not just about the past when considering the conquest of power. A leader who wishes to have his party elected to the House of Commons must not only have a past with as few skeletons in the closet as possible, he must also know how to connect with the middle class. Of course a leader must be at least intellectual, but he must not be too intellectual. A leader who is too intellectual risks being inaudible to the middle class.
Being a brilliant person does not mean being someone qualified to be Prime Minister. However, Mark Carney seems to belong to this political class that is certainly cultured, but which risks being disconnected from the discourse of the middle class. Besides, doesn’t he risk looking too technocratic with all his years at the Bank of Canada? These types of leaders never get far. Indeed, the Liberal Party of Canada has many times experienced leaders of this type. Among these is Stéphane Dion, a former university professor who succeeded Paul Martin as leader in 2006 and who was quickly defeated, mainly because he was never able to assert himself in the eyes of voters. AVERAGE. His successor, Michael Ignatieff, was cut from the same marble as Stéphane Dion, having undertaken brilliant studies, but whose speech was incomprehensible to the average voter.
Furthermore, does his involvement in certain controversies not risk tarnishing his reputation, does his proximity to Justin Trudeau not risk putting a damper on his candidacy even before he has filed?
Certainly, I often hear that Mr. Carney’s managerial experience could be effective for Canada. However, you don’t run a country like you run a bank. Furthermore, when you are the leader of a party, you must be able to connect not only with your activist base, but also with hesitant voters and the middle class. Thus, Mark Carney would risk harming the Liberal Party more than saving it if he were to become its leader.
Related News :