Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney remained silent Wednesday when pressed on conflicting statements about his past.
Blacklock's Reporter says the former Bank of Canada governor has been accused of misrepresenting his role in a corporate decision and exaggerating his influence on a historic federal budget.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, Ont.) did not hold back in his criticism.
“Mark Carney lied,” Barrett told reporters. “The rules are proven to be yet again not strong enough to withstand the Liberals’ desire to be deceitful with Canadians.”
Carney resigned from his corporate positions on January 16, including as chair of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. The firm’s relocation from Toronto to New York was announced last October while he was still chair.
On Tuesday, Carney told reporters he had no involvement in the decision. “I do not have a connection with Brookfield Asset Management,” he said.
When asked if he approved the move, Carney shifted the focus. “I resigned all my positions because I am all in for Canada,” he said. “The formal decision of the Board happened after I ceased to be on the Board.” However, a December 1 letter to shareholders, signed by Carney, called the relocation “in the best interests of Brookfield Asset Management.”
Carney also declined to clarify his claim that he personally helped balance the 1998 federal budget. At the time, he was a 33-year-old economics student at Oxford, not working for the Canadian government.
“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.”
Official records show Carney was still with Goldman Sachs in 2003 before joining the Finance Department in 2004 — six years after the budget was balanced.
Conservatives say Canadians deserve an explanation.
“Why is it Mark Carney is so desperate to hide these details from Canadians?” Barrett asked. “It appears based on the revelation of his most recent lie that he has got something to hide.”
During a Liberal leadership debate, Carney positioned himself as an economic nationalist. “We can control our own economic destiny,” he said. “We are masters in our own home.”
“I love our country,” he added. “Canada has given me everything. In return, I am ready to give everything for Canada.”