ÌýisÌýScholarly Director of the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance atÌý.
After a busy two weeks as prime minister, Mark Carney has called an election for April 28.
As the first in Canadian history to be , Carney is hoping he can win the trust of Canadians. He’ll .
Can Carney pull it off?
When it comes to economics, Carney is among the most knowledgeable in the country. After obtaining a PhD at the University of Oxford, Carney has had a in the Canadian Department of Finance, the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.
With such a high level of economic uncertainty today in the face of repeated threats from United States President Donald Trump, His chief rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, was first elected to the House of Commons at the age of 25 and has quite a different CV.
Is Carney empathetic?
Carney, however, might struggle more with the other characteristics of trustworthiness — seeming open and showing concern.
. While Carney is following , the Conservatives argue Canadians need to know more about whether he’s in a conflict of interest when he makes decisions in government.
Carney’s answers to .
On the surface, this is about transparency, but in fact it’s just as much about empathy and whether Carney can relate to working-class voters. By alluding to Carney’s wealth and connections, the Conservatives are implying that Carney is an out-of-touch elite who doesn’t share the concerns of average Canadians.
Some of the early visuals of Carney can cut both ways.
His exemplifies how immediately comfortable he is with world leaders. Some will find this reassuring, given the state of geopolitics; others might find it privileged and off-putting. Even his hockey skills, , were acquired partly during his time at Harvard University, an institution among the most elite in the world.
Empathy, instinct
Can Carney connect with people?
Arguably, he needs work on this front. He might consider some of his Liberal predecessors.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau could certainly rally a crowd. Trudeau and used opportunities like the to what would become an important constituency for him — — when he led the Liberals to victory in 2015.
Not everything can be taught at school. Political instinct is also crucial. It requires reconciling the knowledge of experts with the concerns of everyday citizens. There is no formula for this balance sheet.
Here again, Trudeau had insight. Bill Morneau, a corporate executive himself and the former federal finance minister, noted after the COVID-19 pandemic that .
This may be so, but
Chretien’s skills
It was interesting that at the recent Liberal convention confirming Carney as leader, delegates gushed over former prime minister Jean Chretien, far from an elitist. A winner of three consecutive majorities, Chretien delivered a speech that
Chretien had unparalleled political instincts. When Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney rolled out the GST in 1991, . Despite Chretien later , the Liberal Party under his stewardship used the issue to exact maximum damage on the Progressive Conservatives,
Chretien’s killer instincts trumped expert knowledge. While the Progressive Conservatives paid a heavy price for adopting the GST, . Good economics does not always make for good politics.
Emotions to run high
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Ìýis any indication of what the next few weeks will look like in Canada, the election campaign is going to get heated quickly. Arguments may be more emotional than sensible.
The fact that Carney dropped the and was an early sign that he’s not an economist anymore, he’s a politician.
The challenge for Carney — and for any politician in the heat of an election campaign battle — will be to find the sweet spot that reconciles expert opinion with public concerns and to articulate policies in a manner that voters will understand and support.
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