Cory Morgan: Political Intrigue and Speculation: Will Mark Carney Join the Liberals?

The House of Commons may be on a summer break, but the political actions and manoeuvring within Parliament are still going strong.
The governing Liberals can’t find traction to pull themselves out of a protracted slump in the polls while the clock ticks down to the next scheduled general election. Tacticians and operators within the Liberal Party are well aware that something major needs to happen if they are to turn the page and start climbing back up in the polls, but they can’t seem to settle on a path. The strange dance between former Bank of Canada Gov. Mark Carney and the Prime Minister’s Office highlights the political intrigue unfolding in the top levels of Canada’s governing party.
There have been calls from some current and former Liberals for Prime Minister Trudeau to step aside, especially since the byelection loss in the Liberal stronghold of Toronto–St. Paul’s. If a seat as safe as Toronto–St. Paul’s can be lost by the Liberals, any seat could be lost. Current Liberal MPs are starting to fear for their jobs, and some are doubtless of the opinion that the answer is a new leader.
The prime minister has dismissed such calls, and many senior Liberals have stood by his side, arguing that he is still their best chance.
One of the cases made by some who are against replacing Justin Trudeau as the Liberal leader has been to ask: “Who would we replace him with?”
Carney has held high positions, including serving as governor for both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, and is well connected in government circles. He is currently comfortably employed within the Toronto finance sector.
The question must be asked though: Why would Carney want the leadership of the Liberal Party at this stage, with the party lower in the polls?
Even if the top job opens and Carney secures the leadership, there’s a risk he could repeat the situation when Michael Ignatieff was leader, taking the party to third place in the 2011 election. Or even worse, repeating the 1993 election with Kim Campbell’s Progressive Conservatives winning only two seats.
It comes down to ambition and timing. While Carney isn’t elderly, he is nearly 60 years old, and openings for the Liberal leadership don’t come often. If he wants to make a run for prime minister, he may feel that the clock is ticking for him.
These recent leaks and actions have undercut confidence in Chrystia Freeland’s role and have also pigeonholed Mark Carney. Whether it was by intent or accidental, Carney now must clarify what his intentions are.
Trudeau’s courtship of Carney could also be for a reason as innocent as wanting to take a different path on the fiscal policy front.
Does Carney really want to serve in a cabinet role in Trudeau’s government while it limps along?
Would joining Trudeau’s government at this point soil Carney’s future chances at being prime minister? Right now, he can still distance himself from the government’s unpopularity.
It all must be resolved by this fall’s parliamentary session if the Liberals want to show a stable, unified front as a party and government.