Tories call on Carney to make ethics disclosure before race ends

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OTTAWA — The Opposition Conservatives are calling on Liberal leadership front-runner Mark Carney to disclose his assets and any other potential conflicts of interests before the contest ends in less than three weeks, saying the legislated timeline for him to do so could see him enter the Prime Minister’s Office before releasing any information. 

The Tories have for months been raising concerns about how Carney, a two-time former central banker who enjoyed a long career in finance, including with different international companies, acted as an adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Trudeau tapped Carney for a special role last fall, where he served as chair on a task force the Liberal party struck to provide Trudeau with insights on economic growth. Carney served in a similar role as the government looked for ways to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which arrived in March 2020.

Now that Carney is running to replace Trudeau, the Conservatives say it’s troubling that he could become prime minister and potentially trigger an election without disclosing his assets and potential conflicts of interest because of the legislated timeline.

Liberals will elect a new leader on March 9.

“The rules weren’t designed for a situation like this, and would need to be updated to reflect the reality that we find ourselves in,” Conservative MP Michael Barrett told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.

“Mark Carney needs to make that public disclosure, and he can’t wait until after the Liberal leadership, he can’t wait until after the next election. He needs to do it now. He’s skated far too long by avoiding the spirit of the law.”

Carney has not violated any federal conflict of interest or ethics rules.

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In a letter sent to Carney’s campaign, Barrett outlined the issues he sees with the disclosure timeline, pointing to how the Conflict of Interest Act for Public Office requires an individual to submit a disclosure within 60 days after assuming the role, with up to 120 days to sign it.

“This means you could be prime minister for up to four months before Canadians see your ethics disclosure,” Barrett wrote.

“More than enough time for you to make decisions that benefit your rich and well-connected friends, and even after holding an election.”

Emily Williams, a spokeswoman on Carney’s campaign, reiterated that Carney resigned from all corporate boards he belonged to and stepped away from “all other professional and advisory roles” to campaign for the Liberal leadership.

He served as chair of Brookfield Asset Management and was a special envoy on climate change for the United Nations, among other positions. 

“As leader, he will work hard to earn a seat in the House of Commons, where he is committed to complying with all applicable ethics rules and guidelines to ensure that his previous experience does not create any real or perceived conflicts. If Mr. Poilievre had any experience outside of partisan politics, we would call on him to meet these same standards,” Williams said. 

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Carney regularly attacks Poilievre, his chief political rival, over the fact he spent his career as an MP. Carney often talks up his experience as having helped manage the 2008 financial crisis as Bank of Canada governor.

Since Carney emerged as a possible name to replace Trudeau, who announced on Jan.6 that he was resigning, polls suggest the race to be tightening between the Liberals and Conservatives. Poilievre has spent the past year-and-a-half dominating the Liberals on cost-of-living and affordability issues, but has recently shifted his message to give more attention to the Canada-U.S. relationship, given rising anxieties about U.S. President Donald Trump and his threat of  tariffs.

A spokesman for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner’s office said in a statement Tuesday that a leadership candidate who is not a member of Parliament does not need to comply with either the Conflict of Interest Code or Conflict of Interest Act. 

“If a candidate who is not an MP wins the governing party’s leadership, they would first be appointed to the position of prime minister by the governor in council and would then become subject to the Conflict of Interest Act. They would have 120 days to complete the initial compliance process for reporting public office holders,” wrote Michael Wrobel. 

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Barrett in this letter dismissed his commitment as not good enough, saying Carney “must show transparency on this matter.”

Five candidates are running in the Liberal leadership race. Former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland as well as Karina Gould, who served in different cabinet roles, have been required as members of the government to make their own disclosures.

Candidates Ruby Dhalla and Frank Baylis, both of whom previously served as members of Parliament, are out of government and would need to make new disclosures.

A spokeswoman for Baylis said in a statement that he is aware of the disclosure requirements and “commits to disclosing his assets upon being elected as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and prime minister.” 

The remaining campaigns have yet to respond to a request for comment as to whether they believe Carney, or other leadership contestants, should make a disclosure before the race concludes.

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

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