The Conservatives are calling on Liberal Party leadership candidate Mark Carney to preemptively submit his ethics disclosure before the conclusion of the leadership race.
Conservative MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett told reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 18 that it’s concerning that if elected Liberal leader, the former Bank of Canada governor could potentially trigger an election without having committed to completing the customary accountability practices, as he is not an elected MP nor a public office holder, and is therefore not subject to any federal ethics rules.
In a letter he wrote to Carney, Barrett called on Carney to disclose his assets and potential conflicts of interest before the leadership contest ends on March 9.
The Conflict of Interest Act states that within 60 days of taking office, an individual must report to the ethics commissioner their direct and contingent liabilities, all their sources of income and charitable work done over the last year, and “any other information that the Commissioner considers necessary” to ensure they are in compliance with the act.
Carney would also be required to make a public declaration of his assets within 120 days of taking office.
Carney joined the Liberal team as an adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on economic growth back in September. Soon after, the Conservatives asked Canada’s lobbying commissioner to investigate whether it violated ethics rules for the prime minister to make Carney his own personal adviser, as his several corporate positions put him in potential conflicts of interest.
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Barrett said the current rules for cabinet ministers and the prime minister mean Carney could go four months without making ethics disclosures, all the while making decisions that could “further enrich himself.”
In an email to The Epoch Times, spokesperson Emily Williams said Carney resigned from all other professional or advisory roles when he joined the Liberal leadership campaign and that he “always adhered to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism” in his various roles in the public and private sector.
“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,” she said.
Barrett charged that Carney advocated for the United Kingdom to expand subsidies for replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, while Brookfield Asset Management at the same time owned a heat pump company.
Barrett also said that Carney was the chairman of Stripe, which was accused by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business of not joining other payment processors in lowering credit card fees for Canadian small businesses.
Barrett also accused Carney of being chair of Brookfield Asset Management while it was lobbying the Liberal government for $10 billion in taxpayer funds for a pension scheme.
Back in January, Carney announced he had resigned from Brookfield Asset Management to join the Liberal leadership race. He also stepped down from business roles at Stripe, Bloomberg LP, and PIMCO, as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, and from his role as co-chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.
Carney told CBC News on Feb. 16 that he was not a part of Brookfield’s bid for the Canadian government contract while he was with that firm.
“Let’s be clear, I was U.N. Special Envoy for Climate Action, I was chair of … Brookfield, on a number of philanthropic boards, and did a lot of charity and other work. So that’s all disclosed in the public domain,” Carney said.
“I will immediately subject myself—if I am elected Liberal leader of course—I’m going to immediately subject myself to all the ethics guidelines, conflicts of interest guidelines, other guidelines.”
Carney is currently leading in the Liberal leadership race, both in terms of fundraising amounts and number of donors. Data from Elections Canada shows the campaign has raised more than $1.9 million in donations from over 11,000 donors, compared to Former Liberal House leader Karina Gould raising $236,000 from more than 600 donors, and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland raising $227,000 from nearly 300 donors.
Voting for the Liberal leadership race is set to open on Feb. 26, and the race will finish on March 9.
