MacPolitics: Dale Palmeter Talks: ‘Absolutely Carney could beat Poilievre’
By Andrew Macdonald
TheMacdonaldNotebook.ca
Following reporting in The Notebook on Saturday noting Liberal insider and campaign veteran, Dale Palmeter is backing Liberal leadership contender, Mark Carney, The Notebook conducted a Q & A with Grit strategist Palmeter
The Notebook: Why do you think Mark Carney is the right choice for Liberal leader?
Palmeter: “Mark Carney is a uniquely qualified individual for public office. He has a depth of understanding of not just the country but also of the policies that are necessary to strengthen the economy and to improve the standard of living of all Canadians.
“He has a skill set which at this moment in our history people may think will be good for the country.”
The Notebook: Why not Freeland?
Palmeter: “Freeland is a skilled politician who also has a deep understanding of public policy. She was a highly accomplished journalist before entering politics and she has a deep understanding of foreign policy. The Liberal party is fortunate to have candidates of such calibre in the contest.
“But in politics timing is everything, and I think Carney is probably better positioned to offer the solutions to the problems people see today and to make the Liberals competitive in a general election.”
The Notebook: Do you think Carney can beat Poilievre?
Palmeter: “Absolutely Carney could beat Polilievre. Carney exudes warmth, kindness, and compassion and is also extremely talented. To have served as the governor of two central banks is unprecedented in the world. And this is a guy who was born in the Northwest Territories and who grew up in Edmonton.
“His father ran as a Liberal candidate in Edmonton in the 1980 federal election under Pierre Trudeau, and fast forward 45 years and the PC candidate who defeated his father in that election showed up at Carney’s recent campaign launch in Edmonton to endorse him.
“I don’t think voters believe rabid partisanship will solve the challenges we are facing today as a country; I think they will attach real value to experienced leadership.”
The Notebook: Hasn’t Trudeau made winning an impossible task for the Liberal Party?
Palmeter: “The past is the past. Voters in 2025 will be looking at who can lead them through the challenges that lie ahead, different problems today require different skills to solve them. Justin Trudeau concluded that voters didn’t think it could be him, and now he is off the ballot. Justin Trudeau was probably the only person though who could have reinvigorated the Liberal party and taken it to government in 2015.
“Remember, the party entered the 2015 election with 35 seats and finished it with 184 seats. Unheard of. The Liberal party may be down today, but I think it will be found that reports of its death are greatly exaggerated.
“As we look at the choices ahead now, I think there is a real opportunity for Carney to earn the support of Canadians in an election. And elections matter.
The Notebook: Carney was just in Nova Scotia, how did that go?
Palmeter: “With two days’ notice campaign organizers pulled together events that I am told drew hundreds of people. There is clearly a real curiosity and interest in meeting Mr. Carney and in hearing what he has to say. From Halifax to Enfield, Truro and Amherst I am hearing that organizers were shocked at the numbers of people coming out in late January with just a few hours notice. It is going to be a whirlwind leadership campaign for sure, but rarely has a candidate of such calibre stepped forward, and given what is happening south of our border there probably has never been a time in our history where that calibre of leadership may be considered so necessary.”
Dale Palmeter is a Liberal strategist who is supporting Liberal leadership contender, Mark Carney. (The Notebook.)
