{"id":719178,"date":"2026-06-06T15:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/719178\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T15:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:02:14","slug":"as-carney-faces-pressure-to-deliver-some-liberal-mps-question-his-leadership-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/719178\/","title":{"rendered":"As Carney faces pressure to deliver, some Liberal MPs question his leadership style"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Some MPs believe the Prime Minister’s tone crosses a line and will ultimately come around to hurt his support among caucus when the honeymoon with voters wears off.Spencer Colby\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Behind the closed doors of a Liberal<\/a> caucus meeting this spring, things grew heated between Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/a> and Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste.<\/p>\n

The two traded responsibility for the government\u2019s shaky relationship with Indigenous groups, in an intense exchange that played out in front of all the other Liberal MPs gathered on the second floor of West Block for the party\u2019s weekly get-together. <\/p>\n

The friction was ultimately resolved in a private phone call later. <\/p>\n

The interaction was an example of the tension that\u2019s been playing out between Mr. Carney and his MPs away from the spotlight. And it\u2019s one that has some MPs questioning whether the internal political capital amassed by the Prime Minister for bringing the Liberals back from certain annihilation is at risk of being squandered by his leadership style. <\/p>\n

With Mr. Carney heading into his second year as Liberal Leader and Prime Minister, The Globe and Mail spoke with 12 MPs about what their relationship is like with him as both sides adjust to a new political reality.<\/p>\n

How close is Carney to achieving his top promises? Here\u2019s a status report<\/a><\/p>\n

The Globe is not identifying the MPs so they could speak freely on caucus discussions. The meetings, where MPs brief the Prime Minister and cabinet on issues in their ridings or ask questions about policy, and where Mr. Carney briefs them in on the government\u2019s plans, are supposed to be confidential. <\/p>\n

Their notable decision to speak out, albeit on background, follows other signs of unrest, including internal dissent over the government\u2019s climate policy and Steven Guilbeault\u2019s resulting resignation.<\/p>\n

Mr. Carney is a globally renowned businessman, served as the central banker for both Canada and Britain and spent time in the civil service. <\/p>\n

But he\u2019s also a political novice in that, unlike any other prime minister in recent history, he vaulted into the role without ever serving as an MP. <\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019s facing immense pressure to deliver on high expectations from the electorate that he\u2019ll do as promised and chart a new course for the country in an era of global upheaval.<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, Liberal fortunes did a 180-degree turn from the final days under Justin Trudeau<\/a>. Back then, they were facing certain electoral defeat, but Mr. Carney won them a minority government \u2013 and then turned it into a majority through floor crossers and by-election wins. <\/p>\n

In his first year, he\u2019s also moved to restructure the government itself, bringing in high-profile people from the private sector to oversee new offices for housing, defence and major-project development. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Two MPs disclosed to The Globe that the Prime Minister told caucus last week that he\u2019s not interested in complaints, a message essentially the same as one recently delivered to a business crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to hear what people are against. We want to hear what they\u2019re for,\u201d Mr. Carney told the Vancouver Board of Trade on May 20. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re for something, we will get behind it.\u201d <\/p>\n

There are 174 MPs in Mr. Carney\u2019s caucus, and there is broad support for the direction he has set. But the MPs who spoke with The Globe said it comes with a caveat: running a caucus is not the same as leading a company.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the exchange with Mr. Battiste generated a lot of raised eyebrows. <\/p>\n

Five MPs said that on that day, the Nova Scotia MP was highlighting concerns about Bill S-2, which amends the Indian Act, and more broadly about how the Liberal government is perceived among Indigenous groups.<\/p>\n

The MPs said Mr. Carney told him that the government\u2019s position on the bill had been decided \u2013 with Mr. Battiste\u2019s input \u2013 and that if there was a negative perception among Indigenous groups, it was Mr. Battiste\u2019s issue to manage. <\/p>\n

Three MPs described the exchange as the Prime Minister losing it on Mr. Battiste, ripping a strip off him or dressing him down. However, that last description was delivered with an asterisk: other Liberals in the room, they said, sided with the Prime Minister in substance, if not his tone. <\/p>\n

The MPs said the energy in the room was tense, and a call was later arranged between the two men to smooth things out. <\/p>\n

Mr. Battiste declined to discuss the incident when approached by The Globe on Monday, saying what happens in caucus is confidential. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have tremendous respect for the Prime Minister and his leadership, and I do believe we have a good relationship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Opinion: A Prime Minister who has changed government rapidly but a country not yet transformed<\/a><\/p>\n

The Prime Minister\u2019s Office declined to comment on The Globe\u2019s reporting and directed questions to caucus chair James Maloney. The Toronto MP declined to discuss the specific interactions, saying caucus discussions are sacred and should remain confidential.<\/p>\n

But he disputed any characterization of Mr. Carney having a harsh approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve not seen Prime Minister Carney be short-tempered,\u201d Mr. Maloney told The Globe in an interview. \u201cThere are spirited discussions on everything, but when we come out of that room, we\u2019re united, and it\u2019s always been that way, and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

MPs said there were also tough interactions in the past between Mr. Carney and Quebec\u2019s Angelo Iacono as well as Manitoba\u2019s Doug Eyolfson. <\/p>\n

Mr. Iacono called out from the caucus floor to Mr. Carney, telling him he should visit his riding. Mr. Carney replied that he\u2019d already been there, and the two men then had an awkward exchange over whether that was true.<\/p>\n

Two MPs said Mr. Iacono was interrupting the Prime Minister from his seat, and they and three others characterized the back and forth as embarrassing for all in the room. <\/p>\n

Mr. Eyolfson, also a physician, was pressing the Prime Minister on the need to fairly enforce the Canada Health Act. Mr. Carney challenged his position.<\/p>\n

Four MPs described that exchange as uncomfortable and harsh. <\/p>\n

In interviews with The Globe on Monday, Mr. Iacono rejected his colleagues\u2019 description of the interaction with the Prime Minister. Mr. Eyolfson said he doesn\u2019t recall the exchange raised by other MPs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy relationship with Mr. Carney is very good,\u201d Mr. Eyolfson said. He added that the Prime Minister is collegial and receptive to other ideas.<\/p>\n

Mr. Iacono said he and the Prime Minister were joking with each other. \u201cIt was pleasant. It wasn\u2019t anything that I took offence to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Opinion: A decade ago, Mark Carney warned that leaders needed to prepare for climate catastrophe. He should take that advice<\/a><\/p>\n

That MPs differ in their characterizations of the incidents speaks to how caucus is at odds over Mr. Carney\u2019s leadership style.<\/p>\n

There are many Liberal MPs who believe that the Prime Minister is imposing justifiably high expectations on his team and cite his disciplined approach and demands as a welcome change from the Trudeau years. <\/p>\n

They say he is quick and decisive and, if the case is effectively argued, open to change his mind. <\/p>\n

Some of the MPs who spoke with The Globe say he will only push back when caucus members are not up to date on a file or appear to be complaining without proposing clear solutions. <\/p>\n

As several MPs expressed it, if you plan to speak at caucus, you better be ready, because the Prime Minister always is. <\/p>\n

Debates within caucus rarely spill out into public view; the meetings are confidential so that MPs can have a free-flowing discussion without fear of public blowback. <\/p>\n

But some MPs believe Mr. Carney\u2019s tone crosses a line and will ultimately come around to hurt his support among caucus when the honeymoon with voters wears off. <\/p>\n

Others see his approach as befitting a serious leader at a serious time and want their complaining colleagues to get with the program. <\/p>\n

Mr. Carney doesn\u2019t run caucus meetings. That falls to Mr. Maloney, as chair, whose role is to ensure that everyone has the time and space to bring up the issues they need.<\/p>\n

The Toronto MP said every conversation in caucus is constructive and focused on how they can all do the job better.<\/p>\n

\u201cParliament isn\u2019t just a talking club, it\u2019s a let\u2019s get things done for Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liberals who have seen the ups and downs of a leader\u2019s political cycle, caution that for caucus to remain behind Mr. Carney, he needs to watch his approach. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing, MPs say, for them to be pulled aside quietly. It is another to be chastened in front of their colleagues. The MPs say backbench loyalty is essential for Mr. Carney if and when the government runs into political headwinds.<\/p>\n

Mr. Carney governs with a slim majority, and it would take only a handful of MPs to break with him to lose that status.<\/p>\n

The left flank of the caucus is restive over the government\u2019s approach to climate change, which includes watering down, delaying or cancelling many of the marquee policies brought in under Mr. Trudeau. <\/p>\n

Mr. Carney has already lost the party\u2019s best-known environmentalist over the changes. <\/p>\n

Mr. Guilbeault told The Globe that he thought he was the only Liberal going public with his concerns about climate policy because of a fear of speaking out against the government. However, he noted, he hasn\u2019t received any reprimand for his public criticisms of Liberal policy. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a perception \u2013 I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s true \u2013 that there\u2019s not a lot of place for dissension in this new government,\u201d Mr. Guilbeault said in an interview after he announced his intention to leave politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, it\u2019s something I\u2019ve heard, it\u2019s not something I\u2019ve experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marci Surkes, who was Mr. Trudeau\u2019s director of policy, said that what she sees is a leader and a caucus still figuring each other out. <\/p>\n

How Mr. Carney relates to his caucus matters, she said, because they are his only real potential opposition at present; polls suggest that neither the Conservatives nor the NDP have as much purchase with Canadians as the governing party. <\/p>\n

Ms. Surkes said Mr. Carney may be trying to run government like a business, but that the approach with caucus must look more like a team sport. <\/p>\n

The question is whether he can learn the skills he needs to bridge his corporate bona fides with the reality of politics, she said. <\/p>\n

Some of what might be perceived as his shortcomings can be resolved, or there might be soft skills that he has to delegate because he does not have them, she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think Canadians will be able to forgive some amount of shortcoming on soft skills if he can get the big ambitious agenda that he\u2019s committed to done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Some MPs believe the Prime Minister’s tone crosses a line and will ultimately…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,714,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-719178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}