OTTAWA—Prime Minister Mark Carney enters his second year making one thing very clear for his detractors: underestimate him at your own risk. He entered the arena early last year with no formal political experience to speak of, and yet he has handily cleared every milestone in his path. Not only did he dispel the robotic banker trope, Carney has proven that he is as comfortable glad-handing in the local pub during a hockey game as he is commanding the stage at Davos.

Central to Carney’s policy agenda over the last 12 months has been undoing Justin Trudeau-era policies acting as an anchor on the Canadian economy. By pivoting on the consumer carbon tax, repealing electric vehicle mandates, and doing away with the digital services tax, the prime minister has shown that pragmatic logic so far has prevailed over ideological advocacy. In terms of his forward-facing policy agenda, trade tensions with the United States have laid the groundwork for most of Carney’s movements over the course of the last year. Since last March, Carney has traversed the globe, spending one out of every five days since taking office out of the country.

From Indonesia to Qatar, press releases and photo ops have signalled that it is a new era for trade and investment as Canada attempts to deliver more than talking points on the need to forge new alliances. And while many of the memoranda of understanding and strategic partnerships will take months—if not year—to bear fruit, the polls show the Carney government’s efforts are starting to pay off in ways not typically seen for a government exiting the honeymoon phase.

Though Carney shares few traits with his predecessor, he has commanded the Canada-U.S. file in the public consciousness much like former then-prime minister Trudeau once dominated the federal COVID-19 response. The latter took to the doorstep of his cottage to do a daily update during the first wave of the pandemic, announcing everything from border restrictions to workforce supports, and supply chain procurements. 

During a time of widespread global anxiety that kept Canadians at home and the doors of businesses shuttered, Trudeau became the face of the issue. The early days were spent providing reassurances that “better days are ahead.” Later, his policies on vaccine mandates would turn into a lightning rod that would be the tip of the spear as Canadians watched the pandemic recede, only to see affordability challenges creep in.

There is a lesson here for Carney as he looks to make his mark during his second year in office. The current moment dictates macro-level policy announcements aimed at securing Canada’s future through a diversified trade and economic agenda. However, the economy is blinking red in the face of dismal job numbers, and acute pocketbook challenges are hitting household budgets hard. Failure to effectively thread the needle between the international agenda and challenges here at home could see the same downward spiral that originally set the stage for Carney’s political rise.

With floor crossers in tow from both the left and right, the Carney government is within spitting distance of a majority government. Barring a disastrous return in the upcoming April byelections, the Liberals are poised to gain the upper hand in the House of Commons. This control extends to committees, which will allow the government to move legislation faster while thwarting problematic motions raised by opposition parties.

Carney kicks off his second year from a position of strength, with a clear mandate and the tools to successfully implement it. However, the ultimate test remains whether his success on the global stage continues to outweigh the immediate cost-of-living concerns here at home. 

Josie Sabatino is a vice-president at Summa Strategies. Prior to joining Summa, Sabatino spent nearly a decade as a Conservative political staffer, providing communications and issues management advice to Members of Parliament and the leader of the official opposition.

The Hill Times