According to the Parliament of Canada Act, Section 32 Mark Carney was ineligible to be the Liberal leader and is ineligible to be a member of the House of Commons. The Trudeau government paid Mark Carney a salary, fee, wages, allowance, emolument or profit of any kind while he was the Liberal government‘s chief economic adviser.
Parliament of Canada Act
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32 (1) Except as specially provided in this Division,
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(a) no person accepting or holding any office, commission or employment, permanent or temporary, in the service of the Government of Canada, at the nomination of the Crown or at the nomination of any of the officers of the Government of Canada, to which any salary, fee, wages, allowance, emolument or profit of any kind is attached,
- is eligible to be a member of the House of Commons or shall sit or vote therein.
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Government advisors are typically paid, and their salaries can vary depending on their role, experience, and the specific government entity they work for. For almost 5 years Mark Carney was paid by the Government of Canada for serving the Trudeau government as an economic adviser. Last September Mark Carney joined Liberals as economic adviser and chair of a Liberal party task force on economic growth. Mark Carney didn’t volunteer his services.
Mark Carney abused his role in the Trudeau government to obtain financial benefits for himself and for his business associates. Mark Carney used influence peddling to obtain government contracts for Brookfield Asset Management. From August 2020 to January 2025 Mark Carney worked for Brookfield Asset Management. In September 2024 when he joined the Liberals as economic adviser and chair of a Liberal party task force on economic growth Carney was Chair and Head of Transition Investing for Brookfield.
Influence peddling, also known as traffic of influence or trading in influence, is the practice of using one’s connections with government or authorities to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another, often in return for payment, and is often associated with corruption.
R. v. Carson
By criminalizing influence peddling, s. 121(1)(d) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, strives to preserve both government integrity and the appearance of government integrity. It helps ensure that government activity is driven by the public interest and promotes confidence in our democratic process.
Section 121(1)(d) provides that:
121 (1) Every one commits an offence who
(d) having or pretending to have influence with the government or with a minister of the government or an official, directly or indirectly demands, accepts or offers or agrees to accept, for themselves or another person, a reward, advantage or benefit of any kind as consideration for cooperation, assistance, exercise of influence or an act or omission in connection with
(i) anything mentioned in subparagraph (a)(iii) or (iv), or
(ii) the appointment of any person, including themselves, to an office;
Canada Elections Act
Corrupt practice
(2) Every person is guilty of an offence that is a corrupt practice who
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(f) contravenes section 89 (signing of nomination paper when ineligible);
Consequences of illegal, corrupt practices
(3) Any person who is convicted of having committed an offence that is an illegal practice or a corrupt practice under this Act shall, in addition to any other punishment for that offence prescribed by this Act, in the case of an illegal practice, during the next five years or, in the case of a corrupt practice, during the next seven years, after the date of their being so convicted, not be entitled to
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(a) be elected to or sit in the House of Commons;
