Prime Minister Mark Carney was caught on a live microphone scolding Housing Minister Gregor Robertson following a media appearance Wednesday, adding to growing scrutiny over the Liberal leader’s increasingly short-tempered public behaviour.Blacklock's Reporter says footage captured by Global News on Monday recorded Carney confronting Robertson as the two men walked away from a housing announcement.“What are you doing? This is stupid. You’ve got an off-ramp. Take it,” Carney was heard saying.When reporters questioned Carney about the exchange Tuesday, the prime minister refused to explain what sparked the confrontation.“My answer is my answer, thank you,” Carney said before declining further comment.A reporter pressed Carney to clarify what he meant by calling Robertson’s actions “stupid” and what “off-ramp” he was referring to, but the prime minister would not elaborate.The incident is the latest in a series of public moments in which Carney has appeared combative with both reporters and political colleagues.Earlier in 2025, Carney snapped at a journalist who questioned whether his stock holdings posed potential conflicts of interest.“What possible conflict would you have?” Carney responded. “I am complying with the rules. I am complying with the rules in advance.”.When the reporter continued pressing him, asking whether there were “no possible conflicts of interest” in his assets, Carney replied: “Look inside yourself.”“I mean, you start from a prior of conflict and ill will,” Carney added. “I have served in the private sector. I have stood up for Canada. I have left my roles in the private sector at a time of crisis for our country. I am complying with all the rules. Your line of questioning is trying to invent new rules.”Concerns about Carney’s temperament have circulated within Liberal circles for months.An October 7 feature published by Macleans cited unnamed Liberal insiders who described Carney as “volatile,” “brusque,” “imperious,” “demanding” and “short-tempered.”The article also recounted an exchange during the Liberal leadership race in which Carney allegedly told rival candidate Karina Gould he “didn’t ever want to see her again” after she criticized him during the campaign.“He believes he is always the smartest person in the room,” one unidentified cabinet aide told the magazine.Macleans also described a May 26, 2025 incident in the House of Commons where Carney reportedly waved off Industry Minister Mélanie Joly without even looking up as she attempted to speak with him.
