During leaders' debate, Carney praised a nuclear firm he bought while at Brookfield

Daniel Leblanc · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 2:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

During the archetypal leaders' statement connected Wednesday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney praised atomic vigor and named 2 companies successful the assemblage with which helium did concern during his tenure astatine Brookfield Asset Management.

In 2023, Brookfield formed a concern with uranium mining steadfast Cameco to acquisition the Westinghouse Electric Company. Brookfield Asset Management acquired 51 per cent of Westinghouse portion Cameco got the rest, according to a quality release.

The acquisition was made wrong the Brookfield Global Transition Fund, an concern money that was co-headed by Carney astatine the time. He was an enforcement astatine Brookfield Asset Management from 2020 until aboriginal 2025, erstwhile helium entered authorities and became person of the Liberal Party and premier curate of Canada.

During Wednesday's French-language leaders' debate, Carney praised atomic vigor successful effect to a question from big Patrice Roy. In Canada, atomic vigor falls wrong the jurisdiction of the national government, which invested hundreds of millions of dollars successful the assemblage earlier this year.

"It's a large opportunity," responded Carney, adding it's up to the provinces to determine whether oregon not to put successful atomic power.

"We person a large vantage present successful Canada. We person uranium, that's 1 of the advantages. We person large atomic companies including CANDU, Westinghouse and Cameco," helium said.

Carney past began talking astir "small" modular reactor technology in which respective firms including Westinghouse are active, but helium was interrupted. 

According to documents made nationalist by Brookfield Asset Management, arsenic of Dec. 31, Carney had banal options successful the steadfast worthy $6.8 cardinal US.

Carney has repeatedly explained that helium co-operated with the morals commissioner erstwhile helium entered authorities to found a unsighted spot to clasp each of his assets except currency and his idiosyncratic existent property holdings. In addition, Carney established anti-conflict of involvement screens arsenic premier curate to debar intervening successful matters affecting Brookfield.

Carney facing calls for much transparency

Political idiosyncratic Geneviève Tellier said she wonders whether immoderate of Carney's assets are inactive linked to his clip astatine Brookfield, adding a wide reply should beryllium provided earlier the national predetermination connected April 28.

"To straight notation companies successful a leaders' debate, erstwhile helium possibly has interests successful these companies oregon has benefited from these companies, I deliberation that raises large ethical questions," the University of Ottawa prof said. 

"I recognize the instrumentality does not necessitate it, but morally and for the involvement of transparency, we should person much information."

In reply to questions from Radio-Canada, the Liberal Party said Carney has much than complied with existent morals laws.

"He is beneficiary of a unsighted spot and does not cognize the existent creation of assets successful that unsighted trust," said Liberal spokesperson Mohammad Hussain. 

"By definition, helium does not cognize the enactment of the unsighted trust, including immoderate income oregon divestments. With respect to his struggle screen, this was established proactively with guidance of the morals commissioner to negociate immoderate existent oregon perceived conflicts that helium whitethorn encounter," Hussain added.

In a written connection issued Thursday, Conservative MP Michael Barrett criticized the Liberal leader's failure to disclose whether oregon not helium has an ongoing fiscal involvement successful Brookfield.

According to the Conservatives, Carney's effect during the statement was designed to "promote" atomic vigor and Westinghouse.

"If Westinghouse was to rake successful billions of Canadian taxation dollars, Mark Carney would astir surely payment financially," Barrett said.

"[He] should travel cleanable present and disclose each his assets and conflicts of involvement earlier Canadians spell to vote. If Carney has done thing incorrect and has thing to hide, helium should person nary occupation doing so."