Secrets have a way of surfacing and when they do, they often reveal more than just the details hidden beneath the surface. In a political landscape already riddled with ethical scandals, a new controversy is brewing, and this time, it’s centered around one of Canada’s most high-profile figures: Mark Carney.

Video Transcript:

(00:00) Secrets have a way of surfacing and when they do they often reveal more than just the details hidden beneath the surface in a political landscape already riddled with ethical scandals a new controversy is brewing and this time it’s centered around one of Canada’s most high-profile figures Mark Carney while his polished image as a Global Financial leader has shielded him from scrutiny in the past fresh Revelations about his undisclosed Financial ties are now drawing the attention of the ethics commissioner but
(00:23) what exactly has Carney been keeping under wraps and why does his response to these concerns raise even more questions with calls for Trans Arcy growing louder and the opposition sharpening its attacks the investigation into carne’s secret assets could be the defining moment of his political Ambitions will he clear his name with full disclosure or will this Scandal follow the well-worn path of liberal controversies denial deflection and damage control one thing is certain the stakes are higher than ever and Canadians are watching
(00:49) closely welcome back to Street politics Canada Mark carne’s recent admission regarding his past Financial ties to Brookfield Asset Management exposes the very ethical blind spots that have plagued liberal leadership for years despite his attempts to assure Canadians that the ethics commissioner will Implement so-called screens to prevent conflicts of interest his hesitancy and defensive stance when questioned reveal a concerning lack of transparency Canadians deserve more than vague assurances from a prime minister whose
(01:16) Financial entanglements create significant questions about his ability to govern impartially carne’s reluctance to proactively disclose his financial Holdings is not just a minor oversight it’s a deliberate evasion of accountability when asked why he has not openly disclosed his assets he deflected responsibility to the ethics commissioner this raises a fundamental question if there is nothing to hide why the secrecy by contrast Pierre POV and the conservatives have consistently advocated for full Financial transparency from public officials
(01:40) ensuring that Canadians know where their leaders stand it’s a decision for if I may so uh question uh with respects to screens related to certain assets as assets go into a blind trust uh these are decisions of course of the ethics commissioner so as you know as you may recall my assets have been put into a blind trust well in advance of uh uh of the requirements so they’ve been disposed but what happens is that there’s a discussion with the ethic commissioner uh for certain screens around certain issues um and that’s a
(02:18) process that is underway uh it’s a natural process and of course uh it’s part of uh the way our system works and I very much respect the system and those screens become uh become public as they’re [Music] developed Brookfield screen on SK on Sunday I’m working very as fast as I can recall that uh uh and I didn’t uh I didn’t set these rules they were set by a government of which Mr POV was a member um that the time Horizon is measured in months uh I’m working in uh I worked in advance actually becoming
(03:21) prime minister in terms of the disposals um and uh in the matter of uh of days and weeks uh in terms of having these screens his dismission an even confrontational tone when questioned by female reporters further demonstrates a troubling lack of accountability instead of providing straightforward answers Carney accused journalists of approaching him with ill will and implied that their concerns were unjustified such behavior is not only Unbecoming of a prime minister but also reminiscent of the arrogance that has
(03:46) become a Hallmark of liberal leadership under Justin Trudeau the so-called blind trust Carney has established does little to alleviate concerns about his financial conflicts Bay Street insiders have rightly criticized this approach as a mere Placebo a symbolic gesture that does not genuinely eliminate the potential for conflict Carney may not actively manage his assets but he undoubtedly knows what they are and how government decisions could impact them this is precisely why true Financial divestment not just a blind trust is
(04:10) necessary to maintain public confidence the rules say that those assets should be publicly disclosed within 120 days which means you’ll campaign in a coming federal election most likely within the next 120 days and are serving as prime minister now with Canadians not being aware of what potential conflicts of interest s to conflict would you have Stephanie Stephanie I’m complying with the rules I’m complying with the rules in advance are you saying you are not open to any conflict of interest yes spend most of Time Life in the private sector
(04:43) there’s no possible conflict of interest in your assets it’s very difficult to believe look inside yourself Rosemary I mean you start from a you start from a uh a prior of of conflict and uh ill ill uh ill will um 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’m complying with all the rules your line of questioning is trying to invent new rules I’m complying with the rules uh that uh that Parliament has laid out and the responsibilities of the
(05:27) ethics commissioner um and I will continue to uh comply with those rules hi prime minister Carney I’m Jillian Piper with global news I understand that your assets have been put into a blind trust I wanted to ask you what is the value of the assets and where did they come from how can Canadians know that there’s no conflict of interest if they don’t know where the assets come from uh that’s an odd question um or odd way of framing it the assets are in a blind trust so and can I point out that for those who don’t
(05:55) follow this um I have 6 months to put or 120 days to put the Assets in a blind trust I already have put the assets uh in a blind trust um and once assets are in a blind trust you don’t know that by definition you don’t know uh the assets because the trustees uh take over the responsibility uh I could I would like to reassure you that uh the assets that I have were uh earned uh through uh employment uh employment income employment as a a public servant and employment in the private sector and I would note as well
(06:30) that um employment in the private sector is something that the leader of the opposition has never experienced um and I would Point as well that complying or meeting meeting standards meeting standards expected of a leader of a party let alone a prime minister is something that the leader of opposition is not uh respected either with and I’m speaking directly with respect to his refusal still at a time of great crisis to get his security clearance something I managed to do in two weeks brookfield’s deep involvement in clean
(06:59) energy Investments and Net Zero projects further complicates carne’s position as prime minister he will be overseeing policies that directly impact these sectors making it nearly impossible to avoid conflicts of interest if Carney is forced to recuse himself from Key discussions how can he effectively lead a leader who must continually step aside from major economic and environmental decisions due to personal financial entanglements is simply unfit to govern the conservatives particularly through ethics critic Michael Barrett have
(07:24) rightly demanded more from Carney they have called for full disclosure of his financial assets before before the election ensuring that Canadians have the information they need before casting their votes carne’s refusal to do so raises suspicions why wait if there’s nothing to hide Pierre PV by contrast has made it clear that integrity and openness are non-negotiable for any leader seeking The public’s trust a comparison to past leaders makes carne’s evasiveness even more glaring former Prime Minister Steven Harper’s Chief of
(07:50) Staff Nigel Wright worked extensively with the ethics commissioner to ensure that every potential conflict of interest was flagged and addressed Paul Martin despite his deep business ties was transparent about his assets and took necessary steps to avoid conflicts Carney on the other hand is asking Canadians to Simply trust that the existing rules suffice rules that have already been exploited by liberal politicians in the past we’re here again today because Mark Carney refuses to disclose his assets and his conflicts of
(08:18) interest he doesn’t understand why the media and why the opposition keep asking questions now every time he’s asked about his his connections to Brookfield asset management or his conflicts he becomes defensive he deflects and then he attacks remember what he told all of you and all Canadians after the Liberals English language leaders debate Montreal he said quote I do not have a connection with Brookfield Asset Management end quote now I’m sure each and every one of you saw his exchange with reporters in London yesterday now did that sound to
(08:57) you like someone who didn’t have any connections to Brookfield and recall what his office said last week quote despite repeated attempts carne’s transition team have declined to clarify if the new prime minister still possesses any Financial interests in Brookfield and quote so apparently Mark Carney doesn’t think that Canadians deserve to know before they vote and apparently he thinks answering questions on this subject is beneath him when he was asked about moving his Brookfield headquarters to America from Canada he
(09:35) lied when he’s asked about his assets he says he doesn’t have any conflicts and he attacks the motives of the ones who are asking the questions but this really isn’t about his style of answering questions that are put to him by the media the question is why is he so defensive when he’s asked what makes carne’s situation even more troubling is the sheer magnitude of his financial entanglements with Brookfield stock options valued at over $6.
(10:05) 8 million and potentially tens of millions more in performance bonuses his financial interests are far from insignificant Canadians should not have to wonder whether their prime minister’s policies are being shaped by personal financial gain rather than National interest even among Bay Street insiders skepticism toward carne’s so-called ethics measures is growing Financial experts familiar with his industry recognized that a blind trust does little to prevent undue influence particularly given carne’s extent ensive knowledge of brookfield’s
(10:30) operations unlike the liberals who continually Place Party Loyalty over ethical governance the conservatives have been steadfast in their demand for real accountability carne’s defensive reaction to legitimate questions suggests a deeper issue his sense of entitlement his response to calls for transparency has been to insist that he is being held to a different standard but shouldn’t the highest office in the country require the highest standard of Ethics instead of recognizing the gravity of the situation Carney
(10:55) continues to dodge accountability hoping the issue will fade from public scrutiny the timing of this Scandal is particularly problematic for Carney as Canada may be heading into an election before his assets are even publicly disclosed if he is unwilling to provide full transparency now why should Canadians believe he will do so after securing power the liberal Playbook has long been one of secrecy and deflection and Carney appears to be following the same script Canadians deserve a leader who is beyond reproach not someone who
(11:19) skirts the line of ethical ambiguity Pierre POV has made it clear that under his leadership accountability will not be optional he has consistently championed stronger ethics rules and full Financial transparency qualities that Carney has demonstrated he lacks as the election approaches Canadians must ask themselves do we want another liberal leader who puts personal interests above National Integrity or a conservative leader who stands for accountability and Trust well that’s all for now do you think Mark carne’s secret
(11:44) assets are just another case of liberal evasion or is this the Scandal that finally forces real accountability let us know what you think in the comments below and if you haven’t please subscribe and leave a like for this video your support helps us continue our work you can also follow us on Twitter where we post stuff we can’t post on YouTube you can find the link in the description below thanks again for your support and I will see you in the next one