Mark Carney’s Liberal leadership campaign is restricting media access to the candidate following allegations he misrepresented his record.
Blacklock's Reporter says journalists were only permitted to cover a recent Carney speech if they “RSVP to receive location details,” according to campaign instructions.
“Media are invited to cover the event and remarks,” read an email sent Friday to members of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery. “Media should RSVP to receive location details.”
Carney spoke Friday evening at a private club in Oakville, Ont., and attended a second closed-door fundraiser in Ottawa on Saturday, held at an undisclosed location.
The controlled access follows criticism that Carney exaggerated aspects of his financial career. A victory in the March 9 Liberal leadership race would position him as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, Ont.) accused Carney of avoiding scrutiny.
“Mark Carney needs to come out of hiding and answer questions for the lies he has told Canadians,” Barrett said. “He is not facing scrutiny from media because he refuses to come out and talk to them.”
Carney’s claims in a televised debate last Tuesday have drawn particular attention. He stated he had directly assisted then-Finance Minister Paul Martin in balancing the federal budget.
“It was my privilege to work with Paul Martin when he balanced the books and kept the books balanced,” Carney said. “One of the lessons of that is the need for government to continue to focus on how effectively it is spending precious taxpayer dollars.”
However, Carney’s official biography confirms he was studying economics at Oxford when Martin’s budget cuts took effect in the 1990s.
Additionally, Carney has faced questions over his role at Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., where he served as chair. While he previously claimed no involvement in the firm’s relocation from Toronto to New York, a December 1 Letter To Shareholders signed by Carney promoted the move as being “in the best interests of Brookfield Asset Management.”
Barrett said the discrepancies in Carney’s statements were part of a broader pattern.
“It seems like he only wants to take credit for some things some times and other things, other times, dodging accountability when it suits him,” Barrett said.
The Carney campaign has not responded to media inquiries on the matter.