Trudeau says he’s trying to recruit Carney, but did not say if it’s to replace Freeland as finance minister

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has been trying for years to recruit former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to the federal cabinet but stopped short of saying he would like him to replace Chrystia Freeland as finance minister.

The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office are concerned about Ms. Freeland’s effectiveness in selling the government’s economic message and discussed at one point the possibility of reaching out to Mr. Carney to serve as finance minister.

“I have been talking with Mark Carney for years now about getting him to join federal politics,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Washington when asked if he had personally reached out to the former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England. “He would be an outstanding addition at a time Canadians need good people to step up on politics.”

Mr. Trudeau did not say whether he wanted Ms. Freeland, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, to remain as finance minister as the Liberal government tries to reconnect with Canadian voters amid low opinion polls.

“In regards to Chrystia, she has been a close friend and ally and partner in doing really big things for Canada,” he said. “I have full confidence in her abilities and the work we have been doing together.”

The Globe reported that officials in the Prime Minister’s Office had talked about a scenario to bring Mr. Carney on board in the top finance portfolio and move Ms. Freeland to foreign affairs, the post she held before she was promoted to finance in August, 2020, after the resignation of Bill Morneau.

Mr. Morneau resigned in the summer of 2020 after a series of stories reported by The Globe indicated Mr. Trudeau wanted him out. The comparison between Mr. Morneau’s treatment and Ms. Freeland’s was frequently pointed out among Liberals and political analysts on Thursday.

“What we are seeing is unfortunately all too familiar to those of us who worked with Minister Morneau in 2020,” said his former deputy chief of staff and director of operations Sharan Kaur.

She said what’s different this time is where the differences are. In 2020, Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Morneau disagreed on spending levels and economic management, while this time it’s about whether the current Finance Minister is communicating Ottawa’s economic messaging effectively.

“This style of politics is extremely unprofessional,” Ms. Kaur told The Globe. “The real issue at hand is that the PM’s personal popularity is at an all-time low.”

“Any political strategist can tell you how to change the channel in this kind of situation. If you’re not going to change the person at the top, then the next most fundamental change is rethinking the Prime Minister’s Office from top to bottom.”