Carney met with former prime minister Harper on day of throne speech: sources

Kate McKenna · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 12:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

During a sojourn to Ottawa to ticker the King present the code from the throne, erstwhile premier curate Stephen Harper met privately with Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to 2 sources acquainted with the matter.

The Prime Minister's Office declined to remark connected the meeting, with spokesperson Audrey Champoux saying they "had thing further to say." CBC News reached retired to Harper for remark via his consulting firm, Harper & Associates, but did not instantly person a response.

Though it's unclear what they discussed, the 2 men person a agelong shared past that was highlighted repeatedly during the national predetermination campaign.

Carney was the politician of the Bank of Canada from February 2008 to June 2013, portion Harper was serving arsenic premier minister. Both played a relation successful steering the country's economy through the 2008 fiscal crisis.  

During the national election, Harper endorsed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who served arsenic a furniture curate successful his government.

Harper appeared successful Conservative ads successful the second portion of the campaign, and besides wrote a fundraising missive taking purpose astatine Carney's relation successful managing the recession.

"I person listened, with expanding disbelief, to Mark Carney's attempts to instrumentality recognition for things helium had small oregon thing to bash with backmost then," wrote Harper successful a missive utilized for Conservative fundraising. 

He said Carney was not progressive successful the "day-to-day management" of Canada's system during the planetary recession and was undermining the enactment of erstwhile concern curate Jim Flaherty.

Flaherty died of a bosom onslaught successful 2014, weeks aft retiring from Harper's cabinet. 

The existent premier curate painted a rosier representation of his narration with Harper.

In an interrogation with CBC's main governmental analogous Rosemary Barton during the Liberal enactment race, Carney said helium had been offered different governmental positions before deciding to run.

"For example, Prime Minister Harper asked maine if I would beryllium his concern curate successful 2012," Carney said.

He said helium declined the connection due to the fact that helium felt it "wasn't appropriate." He said it didn't consciousness close to "go straight from being politician into elective politics."

A Harper-era communications manager said successful February that Carney was "not telling the full story."

Harper was besides seen engaging with different erstwhile premier minister, his erstwhile governmental rival Justin Trudeau, astatine Tuesday's code from the throne. They were photographed successful conversation, exchanging jokes and laughs.