Carney announced last week that he has put his financial assets into a blind trust to shield himself from any conflicts of interest.
But that hasn’t stopped Conservatives from calling on the new prime minister to publicly disclose his financial holdings, suggesting that Canada could be in an election campaign before Carney’s assets are publicly disclosed.
A blind trust means Carney’s financial assets are handled by a trustee who has the legal authority to manage them but who is barred from seeking his input. Carney wouldn’t know what is in his blind trust portfolio, but would know what those assets were before they were divested.
The partisan hypocrisy here is almost comical. Conservatives demanding financial transparency from Carney while their own leader evades basic security clearance requirements is peak political theatre.
But what’s actually important is establishing consistent standards of transparency for ALL political leaders. Financial disclosure is a legitimate requirement, as is proper security clearance for those accessing sensitive information. Instead of using these issues as partisan weapons, we should codify clear, universal standards that apply equally regardless of party affiliation.
Transparency matters in a functioning democracy - but it needs to be principled rather than selective. I’d prefer we focus on strengthening democratic institutions rather than these endless cycles of “gotcha” politics that ultimately solve nothing.
Agreed 100%