Carney’s Calculated Delay Conceals Conflicts

The most recent Liberal election campaign promised Canadians a Prime Minister with 'elbows up,' ready to fight for their interests. What we've received instead, particularly

when it comes to transparency, is a leader with his elbows down but his guard firmly up. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been actively concealing the truth to protect his own interests, not the country's, and his long-awaited ethics disclosure is no mere oversight; it's a masterclass in political maneuvering, a calculated delay designed to keep Canadians in the dark until after their ballots were cast.

For months, from his days as a leadership candidate through his transition to Prime Minister, Mr. Carney deflected and dismissed legitimate questions about potential conflicts of interest. Any journalist or political opponent who dared to ask was often met with beratement and accusations of engaging in cheap smear tactics. The Prime Minister actively chose to cover up the truth, and now we understand precisely why. This isn't merely about the existence of investments; it's about the deliberate deception regarding them.

Having spent considerable time on Parliament’s Ethics Committee, I can unequivocally state that this situation falls woefully short of any meaningful standard of accountability, and that Ministers have resigned in disgrace for less. And now the so-called "ethics screen," managed on a "just trust me" basis, is ostensibly designed to shield him from decisions that could benefit his interests. Yet, in practice, it has become a textbook example of a conflict of interest. And one is led to believe that he used the statutory timelines initially meant to ensure compliance with the rules to engage in a strategic election cover-up. This is not leadership by example. He could have been honest and open with Canadians, but instead the Prime Minister’s actions have betrayed the essence of Canada’s ethics rules

What’s more, the limited information we've been given about his extensive portfolio raises more questions than it answers. While we know he held significant shares in international companies, the crucial question remains: what percentage is actually invested here, in Canada? Disturbing reports are now emerging, suggesting that not only did this Prime Minister prioritize the interests of his own companies by moving their headquarters to New York when he was chairman of the multinational conglomerate Brookfield, but he has seemingly built his financial future not on the hope and prosperity of Canada, but on American and other foreign interests. A classic example of “do as I say, not as I do.” 

Canadians deserved to have this vital information before the election. They had a right to know the full extent of the Prime Minister’s potential conflicts. Instead, they were subjected to a cynical game of hide-and-seek, with the truth only emerging after the votes were counted and the political landscape solidified.

The reality is that the Prime Minister could have been honest with Canadians, but he chose not to be. I was a vocal critic of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals for his own failings in transparency, and it is disappointing but unsurprising to see Mr. Carney following so closely in those footsteps. He concealed the truth using a strategy of delay, and in doing so, he won an election. An election where the Liberal Party led by Mark Carney and the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre, were separated by fewer than 40,000 votes – the size of a small city – from forming a majority government. Would this hidden information have made a difference? There's no way to tell for sure, but the undeniable fact is that Canadians deserved to know before they cast their ballots. Their democratic right to make an informed choice was undermined.

Damien Kurek is the former Conservative Member of Parliament for Battle River—Crowfoot and is now a principal at Upstream Strategy Group.