Theobius:
The Conservative Party of Canada is part of a syncretic network of churches, organized crime, political grifters and billionaire psychopaths in an international network organized as the International Democracy Union – Stephen Harper’s IDU
‘Revisionist history’: Carney hits back at Harper over letter challenging the Liberal leadership frontrunner’s economic chops by Rachel Aiello, March 03, 2025, CTV News
Liberal leadership frontrunner Mark Carney is hitting back at former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper for accusing the Liberal leadership frontrunner of taking undue economic credit.
Responding to a letter Harper penned to Conservative party members – and sent out as a fundraising blast – Carney’s campaign accused Harper of being called on “to save Pierre Poilievre from a historic drop in support.”
“But no amount of revisionist history can take away from Mr. Carney’s proven record of economic leadership,” his campaign said in a statement.
Carney’s team also doubled down on the assertion that Harper approached him to serve as finance minister, in noting that the former prime minister could have picked Poilievre, but didn’t.
Ha Ha Ha! Too fucking funny!
The statement also included a handful of references to comments made by prominent Conservatives, including Harper, of the job Carney did as Canada’s central banker.
“Canadians know that Pierre Poilievre and his team bring no experience or plan to protect our economy, and no ability to stand up to Donald Trump in a national crisis. Mr. Carney is ready to lead Canada and to build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney’s campaign said.
Harper says Carney taking credit for Flaherty ‘hard calls’
Harper – who appointed Carney to run the Bank of Canada back in 2008 – spoke out Monday, blasting the former central banker for overstating his role in steering the country through the global financial crisis.
In a fundraising letter sent to Conservatives, Harper questioned Carney’s economic record, in the context of the massive economic danger Canada is facing in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s impending tariffs.
“I have listened, with increasing disbelief, to Mark Carney’s attempts to take credit for things he had little or nothing to do with back then,” Harper writes.
“He has been doing this at the expense of the late Jim Flaherty, among the greatest finance ministers in Canada’s history, who sadly is not here to defend his record. But let me be very clear: the hard calls during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were made by Jim.”
Harper went on to say Carney’s experience as a Liberal economic advisor is tied to the carbon tax and sizeable deficits, calling the leadership contender “wrong on all the big issues.”
“The real reason Carney wants to claim our Conservative record for himself is that he dare not speak of his actual ‘experience,’” Harper said.
Former Flaherty staffer weighs in
One former Flaherty staffer, speaking to CTV News on Monday, said while he agrees his former boss led the political and fiscal decisions such as running a $55 billion deficit, Carney’s role on the monetary side shouldn’t be minimized.
“Behind the scenes and intangible is that Carney and Flaherty were close. They liked each other. They talked a lot, and they worked well together,” said Chisholm Pothier.
Pothier – who worked on a rival candidates’ leadership campaign during the race that elected Poilievre and is no longer a federal Conservative member – described Carney as “a sounding board” for the then-finance minister.
“Up until Carney entered the political scene in Canada, it was generally a given that Harper, Flaherty, and Carney got us through the crisis and helped and set us on the path to recovery,” he said, noting their working relationship predated the global financial crisis, to when Carney was a senior bureaucrat at the finance department.
Liberals closing polling gap
Both Carney and Harper have called the coming federal election the most consequential vote of their lifetimes.
Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned and the race to replace him kicked off, the Liberals have seen a sizeable uptick in support, considerably narrowing the Conservatives’ lead.
For months, Poilievre’s Conservatives had been enjoying around a 20-point polling advantage but as of last week, CTV News’ pollster Nik Nanos said that if an election was called, it would be “a coin toss,” with the Conservatives sitting at 37 per cent support, and the Liberals at 33 per cent.
Nanos said at the time that the numbers indicate some Canadians are questioning why Consevatives are focusing their attacks on Carney, rather than spending more time talking about Trump and tariffs.
“It’s not going to be a change election anymore. It’s actually going to be who can best manage Donald Trump, and who do Canadians trust to move forward in some sort of positive way in the relationship with the United States. So, I think change is out the door as the ballot question,” Nanos said.
“We may find that Canadians don’t vote for a party that they like. They don’t vote for potentially a leader that they like, but that Canadians as voters become very mercenary, looking at the choices that are before them.”
Liberals will elect their next leader on Sunday. While some voters have run into issues with the party’s verification processes, party spokesperson Parker Lund said the system is working as it should to ensure a secure vote, and that there’s a team working to troubleshoot more complex cases.
Voting opened last week. So far, of the 400,000 registered Liberals eligible to cast a ballot, 100,000 people have been verified, and of those 78,000 have cast a ballot so far.
With files from CTV News’ Stephanie Ha
Well, well, well GrokX. Oopsie.
Will be interesting to see how the results skew over the next few x-algorithm adjustments.
Former prime minister Harper accuses Carney of overblowing role during financial crisis, Liberal leadership hopeful led Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 by Catharine Tunney, CBC News, Mar 03, 2025
Former prime minister Stephen Harper is accusing Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney of taking too much credit for helping guide Canada’s response to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Carney’s history leading the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013, before moving on to the Bank of England, has been a pillar of his bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as he pitches himself as someone who would bring a steady hand to the economy.
With less than a week before Liberals choose their next leader, Harper, the Conservative prime minister at the time of the crisis, is taking issue with that characterization.
In a fundraising letter, Harper wrote that Carney — widely seen as the front-runner in the race — was not involved in the “day-to-day management” of Canada’s economy during the global recession and is undermining former finance minister Jim Flaherty’s legacy. Flaherty died in 2014.
“I have listened, with increasing disbelief, to Mark Carney’s attempts to take credit for things he had little or nothing to do with back then,” he said.
The letter does not cite any specific claims made by Carney. His Liberal leadership campaign website states that during the 2008 financial crisis, the former central banker “guided Canada through one of the most turbulent economic periods in modern history, protecting jobs and helping ensure that Canada came out stronger.”
- Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says he’d run a deficit to ‘invest and grow’ Canada’s economy
- Mark Carney says former prime minister Stephen Harper asked him to be finance minister
“He has been doing this at the expense of the late Jim Flaherty, among the greatest finance ministers in Canada’s history, who sadly is not here to defend his record,” Harper wrote.
“But let me be very clear: the hard calls during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were made by Jim.”
Harper goes on to attack Carney, the man Flaherty appointed to run Canada’s central bank, for being “wrong on all the big issues” like carbon pricing and immigration and while praising Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for “being right on those same things.”OMG! Too funny. What a Trump-like baffoon Harper is.
Harper previously praised Carney
The former prime minister’s letter comes weeks after Carney revealed Harper asked him to join his cabinet as finance minister in 2012.
In a February interview on CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live, Carney was asked why he was entering the political fray now, after his name has been tossed around in Liberal circles for years.
“I have been offered positions in the past,” Carney told Barton. “For example, prime minister Harper asked me if I would be his finance minister in 2012.”
At the time of the interview, Harper’s former director of communications Dimitri Soudas said, “Carney is not telling the whole story, and prime minister Harper certainly does not support Mr. Carney in any way.”
Harper’s letter, shared with media Monday, does not deny he offered him the position.
The tone of Harper’s letter is starkly different from some of his previous public comments about Carney.I bet Herr Harper’s pissed his peepee puppet Poilievre dropping dramatically in the polls. Harper’s a pathetic has been, creepy as fuck, and a coward.
When Carney left to lead the Bank of England, Harper congratulated him for being a “valued partner as the government has worked to steer Canada away from the worst impacts of the global economic recession.”
“As a result, Canada remains an example to the world with its strong banks, effective regulatory environment and sound economic policy,” Harper said at the time.
The former prime minister’s comments are just the latest round of back and forth over how much credit Carney should get for steering Canada’s response to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Last month, Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, criticized Carney on social media and claimed the former central banker was “claiming the legacy of a man who has since passed.”
“What’s happening right now is not just misleading — it’s appalling,” she wrote.
Chisholm Pothier, who worked for years as a senior official with Flaherty’s team, came to Carney’s defence in his own post on social media.
“Oh please. I was there and Carney played a big role,” Pothier said. “Flaherty and Harper provided the political leadership that was key, but Carney was on deck with insight and smart monetary policy.“
Carney has publicly praised Flaherty, calling him a “mentor” and a “lovely human being.”
“I respected him enormously,” said Carney in an interview after Flaherty’s death. “I’m very grateful for everything he did for me, and I owe him a great debt.”
Carney’s team has not responded to Harper’s letter.
The Liberal Party meets in Ottawa Sunday to choose its new leader.
@TRyanGregory:
Who? Oh, that guy. Why is anyone listening to anything he says?
@JohnKowal245719:
Why would ANYONE want @PierrePoilievre to be PM? He’s been endorsed by Canada’s #1 enemy, Trump, as well as Musk, Tucker, Rogan, Alex Jones, MAGAs, Proud Boys, Jordan Peterson, Kevin O’Leary, Modi, Putin, Nazis, white supremacists, racists, bigots and scum from far and wide.