Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, to chair a Liberal party task force on economic growth ahead of the next federal election, the party announced Monday.
Carney, whose possible future in politics has been the subject of much speculation, will consult with business, labour and Indigenous leaders and provide recommendations to Trudeau and the Liberal Party’s platform committee.
“Mark’s unique ideas and perspectives will play a vital role in shaping the next steps in our plan to continue to grow our economy and strengthen the middle class, and to urgently seize new opportunities for Canadian jobs and prosperity in a fast-changing world,” Trudeau said in a news release.
Carney is attending this week’s Liberal caucus meeting in Nanaimo, B.C. and is expected to speak to Liberal MPs on Tuesday.
In its news release, the Liberal Party says Carney “will develop new ideas … and help the party shape a pragmatic, focused, and high-impact vision for Canada’s economic success.”
Carney, who led the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and later took the reins of the Bank of England, was an informal adviser to Trudeau during the pandemic and delivered a speech to the Liberal Party’s virtual convention in 2021. That speech fed speculation that Carney might run for office as a Liberal.
More recently, as questions have swirled about Trudeau’s political future, Carney has been touted as a potential successor.
In the party release, Carney said “Canada’s Liberals have achieved real progress for all Canadians” and “with a winning growth plan, we can build the strongest economy in the G7 and an even better future for all.”
The next federal election is officially scheduled for October 2025, but could happen sooner if the government is defeated in the House of Commons — a scenario that became more likely last week when the NDP announced it was walking away from a confidence-and-supply deal with the Liberals.
With the government slipping in the polls and a crucial Montreal byelection a week away, the Liberal caucus is meeting in Nanaimo, B.C., where the future of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to be discussed.
“It’s going to be very helpful to have a perspective that’s from outside of politics, that is someone that is esteemed int he space of economic leadership,” Indigenous Servinces Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters outside Liberal caucus meetings in Nanaimo on Monday. “And I look forward to actually meeting him.”
Also speaking to reporters in Nanaimo on Monday, Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer called Carney’s appointment “a smoke and mirrors gimmick.”
“At the end of the day, Mark ‘carbon tax’ Carney loves the same policies Justin Trudeau has imposed on Canadians. They’re basically the same people,” Scheer told reporters.
“Mark Carney supports all of these extreme policies that have caused so much hardship on Canadians.”
Responding to Scheer’s comments, Hajdu said the Conservatives believe “they can cut their way to prosperity.”
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu says she looks forward to meeting Mark Carney, who has been named to chair a leader’s task force on economic growth for the Liberal Party. She said that it will be helpful to have the perspective of someone outside of politics.