06/04/2026
Perhaps, we’ll soon call it Mark Carney’s democratic deficit. The prime minister has a penchant for centralizing power — one explored a few times in this column — and now the edict to his Liberal MPs is that he does not want to be challenged.
Over the course of several caucus meetings now, Grit MPs report Carney lashing out at certain members when he doesn’t like the message they deliver. They include Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste, a Mi’kmaw from Cape Breton, raising concerns over negative perceptions of the government’s changes to the Indian Act and receiving a stunning rebuke; Winnipeg MP Doug Eyolfson, a physician, being told not to come to the prime minister with his concerns over the lack of federal response to Alberta’s two-tiered health care Bill 11; and Laval MP Angelo Iacono, who wanted the prime minister to visit his riding and was met with Carney insisting he’d been to Laval recently, though he had not. The experiences have left a lasting imprint on several MPs.
“He yells,” said one MP who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the Prime Minister’s Office. “He punches down at caucus all the time.”
Carney has told his caucus members he doesn’t want to hear their concerns, he wants solutions. While it’s a message that resonates with some, hearing complaints can be useful. It’s an early warning system for the government that certain policies or bills are not properly understood, and that the message needs to be tweaked or the legislation amended to address legitimate and unforeseen criticism.
Last week, some MPs felt the prime minister’s message was that he’s not interested in what they have to say.
Carney was making the case that the government is focused on national unity, on the CUSMA talks, on growing the economy; it has a plan, and message discipline is key. “If you don’t agree with our agenda, I don’t want to hear it. If you have criticism, keep them for yourself,” was the way another MP portrayed it.
This week, caucus chair James Maloney told Liberal MPs not to talk to journalists. He also told them not to write to the prime minister with their concerns because their letters could leak.
In late April, 13 MPs sent an email to Carney about their concerns regarding the memorandum of understanding with Alberta and the Liberals’ plan to fight climate change. The existence of the letter was first reported by Radio-Canada.
While Carney’s desire to stop caucus leaks is not unprecedented — Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford also urged caucus members not to speak to specific journalists — some MPs feel it is more extreme than what they’re accustomed to.
It is, perhaps, another reminder that the early ambition of the Trudeau days are really over. Back then, the prime minister wrote cabinet ministers mandate letters urging them to engage with journalists, to constructively dialogue with stakeholders, to set a higher bar for openness and transparency.
When Trudeau won the Liberal leadership, he pledged his MPs would be a voice for their communities in Ottawa and not the other way around. His criticism that “Canadians who thought they were sending community leaders to be their voice in Ottawa, but instead got only Mr. Harper’s voice back in their communities” might soon apply to Carney.
The current prime minister’s desire to keep a firm hold on power can be seen being exercised through the nomination process — one the Liberals used to boast was open.
Carney, who is accused by the Conservatives of manufacturing a majority by luring opposition MPs to the government benches, has yet to hold an open nomination.
When Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland left Parliament, Carney appointed physician Danielle Martin and NDP MPP Doly Begum as Liberal candidates in the Toronto and Scarborough byelections, preventing local members from having their say.
There are expectations internally that Carney will also appoint candidates in upcoming byelections, including in North Vancouver, where his deputy chief of staff, Braeden Caley, is eyeing a run.
The prime minister’s desire to run a tight ship can also be seen in the proposed changes to the federal freedom of information law. (A consultation period is underway until June 15.)
Journalist Dean Beeby was the first to notice the government trying to weaken the already dysfunctional Access to Information regime by proposing to legally deny access to some frequent users — journalists? — as well as proposing to limit the kind of records that the public is able to access, such as leaving emails and text messages out of the law’s scope .
Carney’s focus has been on the economy, there is no doubt. But it’s also worth highlighting what’s happening outside of the spotlight — whether the government wants us to know about it or not.
