The former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, a climate-focused economist who became the first non-Briton to run the bank, is considering entering the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister.
Mr Trudeau announced on Monday he would step down after nearly 10 years in power once his ruling Liberal Party chose a new leader, throwing open the doors to a fierce party race before a general election later this year.
Mr Carney (59), in a statement quoted by Bloomberg, where he is a chair of the board of directors, said he would be “considering this decision closely with my family over the coming days”. A long-time and prominent member of the Liberal Party, Mr Carney said he was “encouraged” by the support of Liberal lawmakers and people “who want us to move forward with positive change and a winning economic plan”.
Speculation that Mr Carney, who ran the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, could be seeking high office has grown over the past few months as Mr Trudeau’s popularity plummeted amid record inflation, an acute housing crisis, high food prices and voter fatigue.
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Mr Carney holds Canadian and Irish citizenship, and gained British citizenship in 2018.
Mr Trudeau’s decision to resign came amid fears that tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, the incoming US president, could devastate Canada’s economy.
US president Joe Biden expressed his appreciation for Mr Trudeau in a phone call on Monday.
“Over the last decade, prime minister Trudeau has led with commitment, optimism and strategic vision. The US-Canada alliance is stronger because of him. The American and Canadian people are safer because of him. And the world is better off because of him,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
Mr Carney’s supporters see him as having the experience to guide the country through a period of instability. The former banker has a diverse, internationalist resume, including as chair of Brookfield Asset Management, a large Canadian alternative asset manager, and as UN special envoy for climate action and finance.
In September the Liberal Party announced Mr Carney would lead a taskforce on economic growth.
However, the party is in a tough position, with the opposition Conservatives expected to win a majority government under current polling. The Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre, has dismissed the former central banker as Carbon Tax Carney, a reference to a levy on consumer fuel Mr Trudeau brought in.
A poll by the Angus Reid Institute on Friday, before Mr Trudeau’s announcement, found Mr Carney was in second place among candidates likely to replace Mr Trudeau as Liberal leader. The former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, whose resignation last month increased calls for Mr Trudeau to go, was top.
If he were to win the leadership race, Mr Carney would be in the unusual situation of becoming prime minister without holding a seat in the House of Commons. Party leaders are not required to be members of parliament when they win but convention requires they run for a seat as quickly as possible. It took Jagmeet Singh 16 months to become an MP after winning the leadership of the New Democratic Party.
With a spring election widely expected, the new Liberal leader will hold the post of prime minister for only a handful of months before the country votes. – Guardian