Questions about Carney as Prime Minister

Two-thirds of Liberals not allowed to vote

by Donna Laframboise

Mark Carney will soon be sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister. This is alarming for several reasons:

1. Few journalists have been permitted to interview him.
2. He has not fully disclosed his financial conflicts-of-interest.
3. He attained leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in a race in which two candidates were dubiously disqualified, and in which people as young as 14 were permitted to vote.
4. Roughly 400,000 people hold Liberal Party memberships – many of whom signed up recently (without paying a cent, as there’s no fee to join that political party).
5. Yet the vast majority of those 400,000 people – 60 percent or so – didn’t bother to participate in the leadership vote that wrapped up this past weekend.

That doesn’t make much sense. But the mainstream media pretended not to see it, didn’t bother to mention it. Instead, the headlines talked about a landslide – as though what had just happened was somehow impressive rather than highly suspicious:

• National Post: Mark Carney wins Liberal leadership by a landslide with 86% of votes. The vote comes while Canada finds itself embroiled in a trade war with its closest ally and neighbour.
• CBC: After landslide victory, Mark Carney meets with Trudeau as transition to power begins. Carney camp confirms leader has divested assets into blind trust.
• Globe and Mail: Mark Carney elected Liberal Leader in landslide victory.