Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler has formally endorsed former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney for Liberal party leader and 24th prime minister of Canada.
Carney for the Liberal party leadership Jan. 16, a few days after . His bid for prime minister is his first run for public office.
Carney is credited with overseeing Canada’s response to the 2008 financial crisis and helping ease the economic stress of Brexit on the U.K. in his It's that economic background that makes Carney an attractive candidate, said Weiler.
“Mark is going to focus on what can make Canada as resilient as possible, which is having a strong economy," Weiler told Pique. "So I have faith with him leading the party and leading the country, that he'll be laser-focused on economic growth, and making sure that the markets work for Canadians.”
After the economy, Weiler listed affordability, lower taxes and the green and digital transformations as potential priorities for Carney and areas where he was excited to collaborate with the former central banker.
He added that Carney's past work will come in handy when lobbying the private sector to invest in the green economy.
“I'm very confident that we will actually go significantly further in reducing emissions, but do it in a way that's going to create a lot of jobs and economic benefit in Canada.”
A change candidate
Weiler endorsed Carney in —a day before Carney officially announced. In his endorsement, Weiler said Carney represents a shift back towards the party’s centrist roots—a space the MP argues the Liberals have shifted away from, partly as indicated by the now-finished .
“I think the key thing is there hasn't been a sufficient focus on economic growth, and that's going to be the area that he's going to be focusing on going forward that is particularly important right now," said Weiler.
That shift is part of a wider vision Carney and his supporters are working to project. The candidate has been billed—whether by , Weiler or —as a change candidate and political outsider.
“He's not part of the government right now, not part of the cabinet, and he can introduce some changes to key policies that need to be done, and bring a fresh voice to this," said Weiler.
The Conservative Party pushed back on that characterization of Carney, that he is the “furthest thing possible from an outsider” after being a long-time party “insider, advisor” and the chair of the party’s economic growth task force. Conservative Party leader Pierre Pollievre has also called Carney an "economic radical," describing him as a Justin Trudeau-like Liberal who supports a carbon tax and will pursue job-killing policies.
The race so far
On Jan. 6, Trudeau announced his resigniation as prime minister, in the wake of plunging support and calls from within his own party to step down in the face of the Conservatives' significant lead in the polls. With Parliament now prorogued, all parliamentary activity, including legislation, studies and committee work, has been halted until Parliament returns with a new session. This prorogation is set to last until March 24, by which point the Liberal Party expects to have elected a new leader.
So far, MP Frank Baylis, MP Chandra Arya, Carney, and former finance minister Chrystia Freeland have announced their candidacies.
Weiler said his decision to endorse Carney was partly driven by Carney’s engagement with him and the MP's conversations with Sea-to-Sky residents.
"I've received nothing but positive feedback for making that decision," he told Pique. "But with that said, Mark still needs to prove it to the rest of residents, to Liberals and Canadians, that he's the right person to do the job."
Leader candidates have until Jan. 23 to declare they will run. The party will vote to choose a new leader on March 9.
Members of the Liberal Party can vote in the leadership race, so long as they're registered at least 41 days before the election. Details on eligibility and voting can be found
An election is expected by Oct. 20, though with Conservatives against the ruling party, an earlier election is possible.
Liberals and the 2025 election
Weiler first during an Oct. 23 party meeting He reiterated those calls after Freeland
In the nearly two weeks since Trudeau announced his resignation, polling has improved for the Liberals. A Jan. 17 poll by EKOS Politics found the Conservatives' lead had , a sign of the wider wave of optimism that Weiler and his party are feeling about their chances, the MP said.
“Certainly this is going to be a challenging election,” admitted Weiler. “But particularly since the prime minister announced his intention to resign, there was an optimism-intensive opportunity that hadn't been there for some time.
“We had a deeply unpopular leader and that was a huge, huge obstacle for us to get over. And I think now with with fresh faces, with some fresh ideas, there's a sense of opportunity."
He also argued that Canadians are less enamoured with Poilievre than they are tired of the Liberals’ direction under Trudeau.
“I never hear a clamouring for Pierre Poilievre," said Weiler. “So that says to me that there were a lot of people that were parking their votes with the Conservatives that are more centrist. And if we can present a centrist vision focused on the issues that they care about with a compelling leader, I feel very strongly about our chances nationally.”
Office hours during prorogation
Weiler also reminded residents his office is open while .
“The positive part of that is it allows me to be much more in the community—to be at community events, to meet people in my office, and so I'm really looking forward to being there and connecting with constituents in that way,” he said.
The MP’s main office, located at 6367 Bruce Street in West Vancouver, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Constituents can also reach Weiler's staff at 604-913-2660.
