Carney has renounced his British and Irish citizenships, pays his taxes in Canada: campaign

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 11:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has renounced his British and Irish citizenships, a spokesperson for the run told CBC News connected Monday.

Carney, who was calved successful Canada, acquired Irish citizenship decades agone done his household ancestry and got his U.K. passport successful 2018 portion moving overseas arsenic the politician of the Bank of England. Carney's woman is besides British-born.

"His different citizenships were renounced earlier Mr. Carney was sworn successful arsenic premier minister," the run spokesperson said.

Dual citizenship of different leaders has been a root of controversy in the past. In the 2019 national election, for example, erstwhile Conservative person Andrew Scheer failed to publically disclose he's a U.S. national — and he kept his American citizenship after helium mislaid the election.

Former Liberal person Stéphane Dion besides held French citizenship, which helium said helium would renounce if helium was elected, prompting Conservative claims of divided loyalty.

After facing attacks from the Conservatives implicit the play astir whether Carney has been paying taxes successful Canada, a Liberal run spokesperson said the person "pays income taxes successful Canada and has ever followed each the rules arsenic a tax-paying nonmigratory of Canada."

"While Pierre Poilievre continues his hopeless attacks, Mark Carney is taking enactment to basal up to Donald Trump's tariffs and physique a stronger system for each Canadians," the Liberal spokesperson said. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted a shadowy representation of Carney connected societal media Sunday with the text, "You paid your taxes successful Canada. Did he?"

Asked astir that assertion Monday, Carney said it's bunk: "I wage my taxes close present successful Canada. I'm Canadian. I unrecorded successful Ottawa."

WATCH: Campaigns participate important agelong up of debates, beforehand polls 

On the run trail, Poilievre has painted Carney arsenic a "globalist elite" due to the fact that of his important financial holdings, which person been placed successful a unsighted spot to debar imaginable conflicts of interest.

"To Carney, taxes are thing that the small radical person to interest about, portion globalist elites similar him tin ever flight the bill," Poilievre said astatine a caller run stop.

Carney's assets are largely unknown to the nationalist — immoderate of his banal options successful Canadian concern steadfast Brookfield were made known through capitalist documents — but helium has said helium volition travel each parliamentary rules astir disclosure, if elected.

"As I've said a fig of times, I person followed each the rules good up of the clip I was expected to, and now, successful presumption of assets, each I person near is wealth and idiosyncratic property," Carney said Monday astatine a defence announcement successful Montreal. 

"I disposed of my assets earlier I became premier minister. I enactment lone for the radical of Canada," helium said.

Carney has besides faced disapproval over Brookfield's usage of taxation havens for immoderate of its concern funds, a ineligible but arguable signifier Carney has defended arsenic a mode for the institution to prevention investors and pensioners money.

Carney's different citizenships person besides been utilized to picture Carney arsenic idiosyncratic who is untethered to Canada, similar erstwhile Liberal person Michael Ignatieff, who spent clip successful the U.S. earlier returning to tally for office.

But Carney's nonrecreational beingness is overmuch antithetic than that of Ignatieff, who lived extracurricular Canada for decades arsenic a professor.

Carney has spent overmuch of his vocation successful Canada, moving arsenic a elder concern authoritative successful the national authorities earlier being tapped to service arsenic the politician of the Bank of Canada.

Britain's Conservative authorities astatine the clip poached Carney to service arsenic the politician of the Bank of England aft helium earned plaudits for helping steer Canada done the Great Recession.

In 2020, Carney returned to unrecorded successful Ottawa aft his astir seven-year tenure arsenic the U.K.'s apical cardinal banker.

"Canada has fixed maine everything: my family, my education, my values, and successful instrumentality I'm acceptable to springiness everything to Canada," Carney said astatine a caller rally.