Despite murmurs that former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney might be the guy to turn around the Liberal party’s fortunes, a new poll suggests he’ll have an uphill battle.
Just 7% of Canadians polled in an Abacus Data survey could identify Carney from a photo.
Carney, currently the chair of Brookfield Asset Management and a United Nations climate envoy, has generated immense speculation amongst Canada’s political class as to whether he will pursue the Liberal leadership. Justin Trudeau said recently he’s been trying to recruit Carney into federal politics for years.
However, a new poll from Abacus Data gauging the identifiability of several leading Liberals rumoured to desire their party’s top spot found that Carney is not well-known to a vast majority of Canadians.
Survey respondents were shown pictures of several top Liberals and were asked if they could name them. The poll found that only 7% of Canadians can name Mark Carney from his picture, with a whopping 93% of Canadians unaware of who he is.
Carney lags behind several prominent Trudeau government cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland who 39% of respondents recognized , Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly was recognized by 20% of Canadians, while 19% could identify Treasury Board Presidenta Anita Anand.
Even among Liberal party voters, Carney was only recognized by 10% of those polled.
The poll’s findings raises questions around Carney’s ability to successfully take over the Liberal leadership, even as the Conservatives ramp up their attacks against him as Trudeau’s likely successor.
Earlier this year, Conservative MPs unsuccessfully attempted to summon Carney to testify before the House of Commons finance committee, arguing that his testimony was important as a potential future Liberal leader.
Before becoming the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre grilled Carney, calling him a “Davos elite,” in a parliamentary committee.
When Trudeau admitted last week he’d been trying to recruit Carney into government, he attempted to calm speculation that he would shuffle Freeland out of her role as finance minister by telling reporters that she remains a close ally and partner.