Mark Carney's Report Card - July 12, 2025

Mark Carney was selected as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on March 9, 2025. He was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada five days later.  Then, as the Liberal Party won the Canadian election in April 2025, Carney was re-affirmed as Prime Minister.  From the moment he became Prime Minister he commanded respect from those around him, as he exuded competence and experience.  A confidence in leadership returned in Canadians’ minds just by how Carney carried himself.  His refusal to take a call from US President Donald Trump until many days after being appointed Prime Minister showed Canadians he was not afraid of Trump and confirmed Canadians’ belief that Carney was best equipped to handle the threat to Canada posed by Trump; more so than Justin Trudeau, the outgoing Prime Minister and Liberal leader, and definitely more so than Pierre Polivere, the leader of the Conservative Party, and Carney’s primary competition for the Prime Minister’s job in the April election. 

The confidence in Carney’s leadership was further solidified when word got out that he would refuse to speak to Trump if Trump continued to refer to Canada as a "51st state”, and continued to call Canada’s leader a "governor"; this call for respect was communicated to the White House and it was only with this understanding that a call between Carney and Trump took place.  Carney's command over Trump was further evidenced during Carney’s White House visit press conference, when he categorically told Trump that “Canada was not for sale”, and the manner in which he delivered the message, in front of the entire world. That performance earned Carney and Canada the respect of the world, and showed everyone how to deal with Trump. Carney continues to defend Canadian workers and business while negotiating a trade and defense deal with Trump and the United States. 

Given the threat now posed by having too heavy an economic and trading reliance on the United States, Carney has prioritized enhancing relations with other nations, in Europe, the U.K.  and Asia, bringing much needed diversity to Canada’s trading activities and lessening our dependence on the United States.  Carney has also prioritized trading within and amongst Canadian provinces, championing the fact that Canadian businesses have untapped markets domestically.  I was unaware how significant the inter-provincial trade barriers were until Carney highlighted this as an opportunity for growth for the Canadian economy, using the phrase, “ one Canadian economy, instead of thirteen”. 

Almost immediately after becoming Prime Minister, Carney repealed the carbon tax applied to gasoline prices.  While the original carbon tax increased gas prices at the pump, it also came with credit in the form of a direct deposit to Canadian taxpayers’ bank account. Thus, the net effect to Canadians was zero, but somehow that credit back was lost on Canadians. Justin Trudeau’s popularity among Canadians took a nose dive because of the carbon tax, because of the way it was explained by the Trudeau government, or the lack of clear and thorough explanation  provided.  Prime Minister Carney scored an early and easy win with this action, and it took a major talking point away from Pierre Polivere.  

Trump’s bluster about Canada woke up Canadians to the fact that we have been complacent, and too reliant on the United States for our national defense, and that we haven’t invested enough in protecting our sovereignty.  The likelihood of the United States attacking Canada is virtually zero.  The possibility of Russia invading our northern border and seizing some Canadian territory are not zero, but it’s also unlikely that the United States or some European ally wouldn’t step up and help defend Canada.  As a member of NATO, Canada can count on other NATO members to help defend Canada if needed. Nonetheless, Canada should take matters into its own hands and spend more on our military.  This is something Prime Minister Carney is committing to do.  

The Canadian government announced a plan to contribute directly to new housing builds across Canada, in an effort to address the severe housing shortage.  This is welcome news to address homelessness, and increase the supply of housing in Canada, which will make it easier and more affordable for new home buyers to enter the market.  A lack of affordable housing has been a common complaint among would-be younger home buyers. Again, Prime Minister Carney has hit a hot button topic with Canadians. 

Prime Minister Carney recently announced plans to reduce government spending by 15%.  This is welcome news to Canadians, as voters were wondering how the Canadian government was going to pay for the increase in military spending, the oil pipeline and its contribution to new housing initiatives.  

Some will criticize Prime Minister Carney for applying the Digital Sales Tax on American technology companies, and then repealing it when that tax angered Donald Trump.  Prime Minister Carney had to have known in advance that the digital sales tax would anger Trump, and likely had plans to repeal it, also in advance, knowing this would appease the US president.  

Mark Carney was Governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis.  He was Governor of the Bank of England while the U.K. went through Brexit.  The man knows how to deal with crises and has shown so far he is capable of leading Canada through a trade war with the United States, while at the same time addressing other pressing domestic issues, such housing shortages, climate change and bolstering the Canadian economy.  

My grade for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s performance so far, is an A