Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says there are numerous crises facing the country that he would make his immediate priority if he were to become prime minister.
“What we’re going to do is what’s right for Canadians,” Carney told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis during an interview on Friday. “If we’re in the middle of a crisis and there are specific things that need to get done, we will do them.”
When asked if he would call a snap election, Carney would not commit, but added the government needs a strong mandate from the Canadian people.
Carney noted Canada is facing an “economic crisis” prompted by the 25 per cent tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which are expected to take effect in February.
“It’s crucial for Canadians that Parliament is back,” Carney said. “Lots of issues have been held up. It’s time to act.”
Parliament is currently prorogued until March 24 following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement he will resign once a new Liberal leader is chosen. Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor, and Chrystia Freeland, the former deputy prime minister, are running for the position, along with Karina Gould, Ruby Dhalla and Frank Baylis.
Former candidate Jaime Battiste dropped out of the race on Thursday and endorsed Carney.
Carney made his first major policy announcement during a campaign stop in Halifax on Friday. If he becomes prime minister, Carney promises to scrap the Consumer Carbon Tax and replace it with an incentive program for people who chose eco-friendly options.
“We’ll get the large polluters to pay for incentives for people to make investments in cleaner appliances, EVs and on and on,” he said. “We’re very focused that costs go down and household incomes go up.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has long campaigned on a pledge to “Axe the Tax,” but Carney accused him of not caring about what it could mean for future jobs and the economy.
If he were prime minister, Carney said he would stand up to America regarding tariffs, pitching himself as a negotiator who could hold his ground against Trump, who he labelled a “bully.”
“You do a couple of things in a negotiation, particularly with a bully, and one of them is stand up to the bully,” he said. “They’re going to put tariffs on us, we’ll put tariffs on them. We’re going to match dollar for dollar. We will target those tariffs where it hurts the most in America and hurts the least in Canada.”
In an interview with CTV News Atlantic last week, Poilievre also pledged to retaliate with tariffs if he were prime minister.
“It has to hit hard,” he said at the time. “We have to be very pinpoint and surgical.”
When asked about his numerous endorsements from members of the current Liberal government, Carney set himself apart from Trudeau.
“I’m a very different person than the current prime minister,” he said. “I’m a goalie, he’s a snowboarder. I have lots of experience in the business world. I’ve provided some advice to this government, quite often they didn’t take it.”
The next Liberal leader will be chosen on March 9.
