Supporters of former Bank of England and Bank of Canada governor say he has experience to lead in period of instability

The former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, a climate-focused economist who became the first non-Briton to run the Bank, is considering entering the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister.

Trudeau announced on Monday he would step down after nearly 10 years in power once his ruling Liberal party chose a new leader, throwing open the doors to a fierce party race before a general election later this year.

Carney, 59, in a statement quoted by Bloomberg, where he is a chair of the board of directors, said he would be “considering this decision closely with my family over the coming days”. A longtime and prominent member of the Liberal party, Carney said he was “encouraged” by the support of Liberal lawmakers and people “who want us to move forward with positive change and a winning economic plan”.

  • sbvEnglish
    112·
    3 days ago

    Mmm. It’s Michael Ignatieff all over again.

    • RandAlThor@lemmy.ca
      3·
      3 days ago

      There is THAT fear. I think he is a bit more grounded than Ignatieff. He speaks better. Ignatieff was too professorial. Lacked common touch.

      • sbvEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        We’ll see. Whoever wins is going to have an uphill battle.

        • voluble@lemmy.ca
          4·
          2 days ago

          Haha that’s an understatement. Whoever wins this public and likely acrimonious leadership race, earns the prize of the most painful political week imaginable. Make speech from the throne, then get immediately ass blasted from every direction until the government falls. It’s a suicide mission.

          All those Cabinet ministers who suddenly wanted to be with their families instead of being in Cabinet, they saw something in the tea leaves.

          • sbvEnglish
            4·
            2 days ago

            Make speech from the throne, then get immediately ass blasted from every direction until the government falls. It’s a suicide mission.

            And then it’s 35 days of curb stomps from the expected winner.

            I’m betting that anyone who wants a career past 2029 will sit this one out.

      • sbvEnglish
        52·
        3 days ago

        The Conservatives successfully painted Ignatieff as a member of the elite who was out of touch with Canadians (because he’d spent time abroad). Additionally, Ignatieff hadn’t held elected positions, so he didn’t have political experience.

        Carney appears prone to the same issues.

        • HellsBelleOPEnglish
          1·
          1 day ago

          Only if the Cons work hard to denigrate his education and ability to lead.

          I honestly believe Carney is up to the task (as long as his family is good with it).

          • sbvEnglish
            2·
            1 day ago

            That’s exactly what they’ll do - it doesn’t matter how capable he is, it matters how he’s perceived.

            The current batch of Conservatives are effective communicators, so it’ll be tough for whoever wins the Liberal leadership.