Former governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney, who also served as governor of the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference in Ottawa, Thursday Nov. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Mark Carney went on late night television in the U.S. Monday night to talk Trump, tariffs and carbon tax, but played coy on any plans to seek the Liberal leadership.
The former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor appeared on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart for a 20 minute sit-down interview.
On the issue of president-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canada become the 51st state, Carney and Stewart joked about the two counties being a dating couple that had hit a rough patch.
Carney said statehood is not going to happen but the the U.S. and Canada can be “friends with benefits,” generating a roar of laughter from the crowd.
On Trump’s threat of tariffs, Carney said Canada needs to prepare for a trade dispute like it did the last time Trump was in office.
When asked about the carbon tax, Carney noted that much of Canada’s emissions come from the oil industry and that needs to be cleaned up rather than trying to change the way Canadians live in a short period of time.
While not explicitly stating he’d run, Carney labelled himself an outsider in Canadian politics and didn’t reject Stewart’s attempts to pin him down.
A source said Monday that former finance minister Chrystia Freeland will announce a run for the leadership in the coming days.
Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal Liberal MP Frank Baylis are the only two to officially join the contest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
