As rumours mount that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to recruit former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney as the next finance minister, climate advocates say finance has long been a missing piece of the country’s climate strategy. The Globe and Mail reported last week that the Prime Minister’s Office is frustrated with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s inability to communicate the government’s economic message, and has spoken with Carney to bring him on board as a replacement. Speaking at the NATO Summit in Washington Thursday, Trudeau conceded he has “for years now” tried to recruit Carney as a ringer for the Liberal Party, saying “he would be an outstanding addition at a time Canadians need good people to step up on politics.
” Get daily news from Canada's National Observer Email * Trudeau added he has “full confidence” in Freeland, but that may be cold comfort given he had “ full confidence ” in former finance minister Bill Morneau in 2020 before he resigned about a week later amid policy clashes with the PMO. He also said he had “ full confidence ” in Jody Wilson-Raybould the day before she stepped down during the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Carney comes with pedigree.
As the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, and currently chairing Brookfield Asset Management and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Carney has fashioned himself a champion of the financial sector’s role in getting to net-zero..
