PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Former central banker Mark Carney all but said he is running to be Canada’s next prime minister during an appearance on Jon Stewart’s ‘The Daily Show’ on Monday night.
This follows Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement on Jan. 6 after facing an increasing loss of support both within his Liberal Party and across the country. He will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen on March 9.
“You are running as an outsider,” Stewart told Carney.
“I am outsider,” the experienced financier said.
Carney, 59, is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience, widely credited with helping Canada dodge the worst of the 2008 crisis while heading the country’s central bank. He also helped the U.K. manage Brexit as the first non-Brit to run the 319-year-old Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His selection won bipartisan praise in Britain.
“Let’s say the candidate wasn’t part of the government. Let’s say the candidate did have a lot of economic experience” Carney said. “Let’s say the candidate did deal with crisis. Let’s say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges.”
Carney ‘s main contender for the leadership of the Liberal Party is ex-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau’s exit. Both are expected to declare their candidacy in the coming days.
The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump keeps calling Canada the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.
On the show, Carney said statehood won’t happen but the U.S. and Canada can be “friends with benefits,” generating laughter from the crowd.
Carney said Canada needed change as it faced an economic crisis with Canadians being very hard-pressed in the last few years because wages have not kept up with inflation and housing has become very expensive.
“Truth be told the government was not as focused on those issues as it could be,” he said. “We need to focus on them immediately. That can happen now and that is what this election will be about.”
The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals’ minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24.
Recent polls suggest the Liberals’ chances of winning the next election look slim. In the latest poll by Nanos, the Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 45% to 23%. Carney said a change in Liberal leadership would give the party a chance.
He also said opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre leader is “a lifelong politician” who “worships the market” but has never actually worked in the private sector.
Like other central bankers, Carney is a former Goldman Sachs executive. He worked for 13 years in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has both financial industry and government credentials.
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