Carney brings carnage in Canada elections

Mark Carney as governor of the Bank of England (Photo: Wikimedia/Policy Exchange)

Mark Carney, a bankers’ banker formerly of the Bank of England, is Canada’s newly-elected prime minister as part of the Liberal Party.

Canada’s labour party, the New Democratic Party (NDP), saw its worst result in its entire 62-year history. This is a disaster for the left and a victory for those who want to see the whole electoral map shift to the right.

This election was defined by Trump’s tariff war on Canada. Until that was unleashed, Canada’s Trumpist Tories were poised to carry the election on their anti-immigrant, social program-slashing, anti-EDI, far right dog-whistle politics.

Fear of this, and then outright panic over Trump, pushed voters to turn to Carney.

Many are relieved the Tories didn’t carry the day. But Carney is poised to get away with even more, under an anti-Trump cover—from massive military spending and cuts to social programs to hugely destructive climate policies.

The campaign to buy Canadian and boycott US products, and desperation over where the trade war is leading, has driven many to forget who their real enemies and allies are.

The nationalism whipped up will only feed the far right and attacks on immigrants. And it allowed the Liberals to argue there is no room for a left vote when “we’re all in this together” against Trump.

The NDP made many fatal mistakes, notably propping up the last Liberal minority government under Justin Trudeau, with very few asks, and with no independent vision.

The lack of a party independent from corporate power is what paved the way for Trump in the first place. The decline of Canada’s social democratic labour party, flaws and all, undermines confidence in left politics and shrinks the space for social movements on the ground.

The result of this election is a kind of purgatory. The explicitly Trumpist Tory right that was feared, was defeated. The electoral left, which got pushed aside by fearful strategic voting, has been crushed.

Those who see the defeat of the Tories as a victory need to also see the Liberal “Canada Strong” slogan for what it is. It’s nothing short of another ruling class party lining the pockets of the 1 percent, with no real economic or political safety for the rest of us.

But there are struggles soon to come. One of the neoliberal legacies Carney inherited from his strike-breaking Liberal predecessor, Justin Trudeau, is a board of inquiry into the privatisation of Canada’s post office.

Postal worker collective agreements set to expire. This and other fights could and should mean a short honeymoon for Carney, before the election translates into more real carnage.

With or without the NDP, the fight on the ground against Carney and the Liberals starts now.