Mark Carney sat down with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show Monday night, where he talked about a range of issues including the one dominating political circles right now: will he run to be leader of the Liberal Party of Canada?
The interview marks a significant moment in which Carney weighed in on what would be needed for a Liberal leader to help turn the party around. It comes amid months of speculation that the former central banker who led the Bank of Canada’s response through the 2008 global financial crisis could be eyeing a run that could see him — if successful — become prime minister until an election is called.
Stewart asked Carney, former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, if he plans to run to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader and prime minister.
“I just started thinking about it when you brought it up,” Carney joked.
While Carney did not explicitly say he was running, he referred to himself as an “outsider” in the political realm. When asked what kind of leader could give the Liberals a chance at winning the next election, he said, “in a situation like this, you need change. You need to address the economy.”
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Carney and Stewart joked about Canada and the United States being a romantic couple that had hit a rough patch, in reference to president-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on Canadian goods.
While Canada would never be part of the United States, Carney said, the two could be “friends with benefits.”
“We find you very attractive, but we’re not moving in with you. It’s not you, it’s us,” he said.
However, Carney said Canada needed to brace for Trump’s tariffs.
“We have to prepare for it. You look at what happened five, six years ago,” he said, referring to Trump’s tariffs on Canada during his first term.
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Carney took a swipe at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, likening him to pro-Brexit politicians in the U.K.
“We have Mr. Poilievre in Canada, the type of politician who tends to be a lifelong politician. They tend to worship the market. They’ve never actually worked in the private sector and they see opportunity in tragedy to push an agenda,” he said.
Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis have already announced their candidacy for Liberal leader and speculation is high that former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland and Carney himself may announce leadership campaigns soon.
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