The Liberal mailing list sent this an hour or two ago. "From" Mark Carney:
I am deeply honoured to be our next Liberal leader – and I’m ready to get to work.
...
We’re going to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7.
We’ll cut taxes that divide us and put money back into your pockets.
We’ll invest in health care, seniors, and affordable child care.
We’ll take bold action on climate, and we’ll protect Canadian workers from Trump’s tariffs.
I really hope that ol affordability crisis just slipped his mind. Tax cuts are fine (even if it's coded language for dropping the carbon tax), but groceries are still crazy expensive and housing is still hard to come by.
There was no codes language on dropping the carbon tax. He explicitly said he'd drop it in his acceptance speech. He also said he would not increase capital gains tax.
But he is still the only candidate with a remote chance of depeating PP.
The consumer carbon tax which most people got back as a rebate anyways. There would still be carbon pricing for the largest industrial and commercial polluters. I don't mind this since, for seemingly forever, consumers have been forced to adjust their habits while corporations, which account for the vast majority of polluting, got hall passes.
Mark Carney's position on electoral reform: "open". However...
He’s an economist, and the mathematics pairs quite nicely with the mathematics of electoral systems.
His public persona is that he is intelligent. But when asked specifically about electoral reform and proportional representation, he says he’s uncertain and open to exploring options? Why would someone as smart as him be uncertain about ensuring every vote counts?
But when asked specifically about electoral reform and proportional representation, he says he’s uncertain and open to exploring options? Why would someone as smart as him be uncertain about ensuring every vote counts?
He's trying to play both sides: if he says no, then he alienates NDP and other non-Libs; if he says yes, then he alienates those who like the current system or are afraid of change.
I don't think that was why - the special committee report recommended a referendum and switching to Proportional Representation.
Two parties stand to lose the most from that - Liberal and Conservative. NDP, Green, and fringe parties like PPC stand to gain the most, as do the people of Canada, IMO. Trudeau didn't want it to go to a referendum, because the liberals would lose significant power, and likely never again become a majority party, as there is a not-insignificant portion of people who vote Liberal as an anything-but-conservative approach.
Disagree on your assessment of why PR failed, but I agree with it being the bottom of my priorities right now. Back in 2013 I voted Liberal for the first time (normally an NDP voter) purely for electoral reform - it's incredibly important for the long term health of our democracy. However, we're in an economic crisis, and I really think we need to survive the next few years before we can worry about long term health, and I think Carney is the right guy for that. I will be happy to see him replaced with someone more progressive down the road.
He's sorta kinda promising tax cuts, if we're good:
A Mark Carney-led government’s fiscal policy will focus first on reining in wasteful and ineffective government spending, creating room for personal income tax cuts so that Canadians can keep more of their hard-earned money and better cope with the higher cost of living.
We will slow the growth of government spending, initially cap the size of the public service, and review our spending with an emphasis on outcomes and technology to reduce inefficiencies. By leveraging AI and machine learning to boost productivity and cut costs across government, we will build a highly competitive, technology-enabled public service focused on delivering for Canadians and ensuring funds are allocated where they best serve Canadians.
This is the appropriate level of cynicism - Carney hasn't proven himself. We want him to be good, because we want him to be better than Poilievre, but he hasn't shown us that yet.