# Canadian PM Mark Carney Election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 10, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376 "2025-03-10T05:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/1 "2025-03-10T05:16:57Z")
Congratulations upon voting PM Carney in today! I haven’t previously known much of him beyond his online bios, recent interviews and his book coming out. I welcome any views and commentary about Mark Carney from any of the good people who come on this site. I was looking also for a nice citation of his election but alas must go to my job at this time. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/2 "2025-03-10T05:19:22Z")
I mentioned in the Canadoper thread that I keep seeing the same “Carney is evil” ad (which didn’t prevent him from being nominated, apparently). [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/YPJJH7E.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/TcGMoKd) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/3 "2025-03-10T05:43:02Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I mentioned in the Canadoper thread that I keep seeing the same “Carney is evil” ad (which didn’t prevent him from being nominated, apparently). He won in a landslide! There were four candidates, and Carney won on the first ballot with 85% of the vote. Do the math – the other three candidates averaged 5% each. In reality (I don’t remember precise numbers) the lowest two got around 3% and Christia Freeland got correspondingly more but still, not even remotely close to winning. She put on a brave face but as former Deputy Prime Minister and thus the most senior member of government after the PM, it must have been a bitter blow. I don’t know much about Carney beyond his governorship of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, which are impressive credentials, and an interview I saw with him (I think it was with Jon Stewart on the new _Daily Show_) where he seemed affable and intelligent. So I was rooting for him and am happy with this outcome. But the poor guy really has his work cut out for him having to deal with Orange Maniac and his gang of sycophantic clowns. But before that, Carney’s first challenge is he needs to get a seat in Parliament. Not sure how that’s going to be accomplished. In the meantime we’re in the odd position of having the leader of the Liberal Party and the head of the Liberal government being two different people. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/4 "2025-03-10T06:03:03Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But before that, Carney’s first challenge is he needs to get a seat in Parliament. Not sure how that’s going to be accomplished. In the meantime we’re in the odd position of having the leader of the Liberal Party and the head of the Liberal government being two different people. My bet is an election call next week for a late April election. Note that he will be PM, seat in the house or not. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/5 "2025-03-10T08:07:30Z")
Has this ever happened before - that a non-MP has become leader of the party? As a fellow-Westminster-system-dweller, I find it quite extraordinary ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/6 "2025-03-10T08:33:01Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Has this ever happened before - that a non-MP has become leader of the party? As a fellow-Westminster-system-dweller, I find it quite extraordinary   Yes. But it usually happens when a party leader loses their own seat in an election. This has happened five times in Canadian history, though all but one instance go back a very long way. The one most recent such incident was when Kim Campbell, the short-lived Conservative Party leader, lost her own seat in 1993. However, in that election the Conservatives didn’t prevail and in fact went down to a resounding defeat, ending Campbell’s political career. I believe there was only one time that there was a parallel with the present situation, and that was in 1984 when John Turner, not an MP at the time, was elected leader of the governing Liberal party. He had previously been an MP and a Cabinet minister, but resigned over disagreements with Pierre Trudeau. It was indeed unusual – the first time Turner attended Parliament after the election, he had to sit in the visitors’ gallery. As I’m sure you know but others may not, in the Westminster Parliamentary system the Prime Minister plays a key role in the proceedings in the House of Commons, so while there’s no formal requirement for the Prime Minister to be an MP, it creates a pretty untenable situation that needs to be remediated. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/7 "2025-03-10T08:59:58Z")
Having seen the mess that is the current US political scene, not to mention the current state of Romania with their presidential election woes, I’d been congratulating myself on belonging to a system where at least _that_ path to dysfunction was closed. Since the leader needs to go through two levels of gatekeeping (I thought) - they need to persuade ordinary people in the electorate to vote for them, and then they need to persuade their parliamentary colleagues to vote for them _there_, that ought to be a good shield against getting anyone truly dysfunctional. I hope that Marc Carney is not, in fact, dysfunctional? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/8 "2025-03-10T09:09:10Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > I hope that Marc Carney is not, in fact, dysfunctional? He’s a very smart person with impressive credentials who’s been saying all the right things, in my view. But since he’s not a politician it remains to be seen how well he navigates the challenges of parliamentary politics and international relations, especially with the Orange Peril south of us. I admire him for taking on the task. It’s almost like volunteering to be a wartime PM. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/9 "2025-03-10T11:59:57Z")
I gotta believe, he’d be a fool otherwise, that Christi Freeland will figure prominently in his government. If only because Trump loathes her. She’s the reason his dairy expansion plans were reduced to a 2% share during his last presidency. He’s still furious about it. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/10 "2025-03-10T12:25:43Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Has this ever happened before - that a non-MP has become leader of the party? As a fellow-Westminster-system-dweller, I find it quite extraordinary It happened in the UK in 1963, though the new leader was a member of the upper rather than lower house. A by-election in a safe constituency was organised pretty swiftly. And shortly afterwards, after that government lost a general election, their successors likewise engineered a by-election to get the new PM’s desired Foreign Secretary back in after losing his seat. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/11 "2025-03-10T12:44:20Z")
It has occurred in Canada as well. > **[The last time a Trudeau left office, Canada got an unelected prime minister....](https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-unelected-prime-ministers)** > > Should Mark Carney secure the Liberal leadership, he'll be the first unelected Prime Minister since John Turner in 1984. A cabinet position is not elected - it is appointed by the PM. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/12 "2025-03-10T13:32:36Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But before that, Carney’s first challenge is he needs to get a seat in Parliament. I’m expecting going pretty much straight to a general election, given the circumstances. Minority, near end of mandate anyways, and NDP withdrawal from agreement to support govt in confidence votes. I can’t see how it makes sense to try to get Carney a seat in a by-election only to have to immediately call a general election anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/13 "2025-03-10T13:57:55Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > I can’t see how it makes sense to try to get Carney a seat in a by-election only to have to immediately call a general election anyways. In fact, it makes sense _not_ to do that. Firstly, it sets up an easy narrative for the Conservatives. “Look at that! “Tax and Spend” Carney wasted money on his own by-election, just so he could (run as an incumbent MP/stroke his own ego/delay the general election)!” Secondly, since by-elections are notoriously low voter-turnout, he’d mostly likely get a lower percentage of the vote come the general election, which again hands the Conservatives an easy narrative: “Voters in his own riding decided that his first months as PM were so terrible, he lost X% of their votes!” ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/14 "2025-03-10T15:13:34Z")
I know someone who used to work with him. Apparently he’s brilliant and not to be fucked with. As well he can apparently be quite arrogant if necessary. All while being a good guy. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/15 "2025-03-10T16:24:18Z")
I remember when he joined the Bank of England some of the right wing press tried to smear him. They claimed that he ‘demanded’ a multi million pound house as well as his extensive salary. The truth was very different. The Bank offered him accommodation as part of a package to entice him over. Not unusual at that level of recruitment. And it’s not as if they were giving him the house to keep. I think they made a profit when they later resold it. He was generally regarded as a safe pair of hands as Governor and the above was the nearest he came to controversy. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/16 "2025-03-10T16:50:33Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > They claimed that he ‘demanded’ a multi million pound house o.0 say wat? ETA: jk jk ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/17 "2025-03-10T17:04:23Z")
I’ve just been trying to find said news stories, but bank governor and house returns too many hits for speeches he made about mortgage rates. I did find a house for sale that he and his family rented from 2015. So I think he only lived in the Bank provided house from 2013 until he got settled over here. Not exactly the scandal that the Daily Mail et al were trying to manufacture. And that’s about all the dirt they could find on him. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/18 "2025-03-10T19:03:42Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > It happened in the UK in 1963, though the new leader was a member of the upper rather than lower house. A by-election in a safe constituency was organised pretty swiftly. We had one of those in Australia too - John Gorton, who became Liberal leader and PM after the previous PM died in a swimming accident. Somehow that feels like less of an outlier though - probably because it’s normal to have Senators in Cabinet, if not actually PM ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/19 "2025-03-10T19:12:13Z")
We’ve also had party leaders in opposition parties who didn’t have a seat. Brian Mulroney is the best example: had never had elective office prior to winning the leadership of the PC party in 1983. He then was elected to a safe PC seat and was in the Commons as Leader of the Opposition. He led the PCs to the largest parliamentary majority in history in the next year. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376/20 "2025-03-10T19:15:08Z")
> [@Eric1](#): > > Congratulations upon voting PM Carney in today! Actually, he’s not PM, and we (the voters of Canada) didn’t elect him. The members of the Liberal Party elected him as party leader. You had to join the party to get a vote. Since the Liberals hold office, he will be appointed PM in the near future by the Governor General. Timing has not yet been announced. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-pm-mark-carney-election/1015376.md?page=2)