THUNDER BAY —Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu says "the times are dramatically different...and I would say that calls for a different approach."
Hajdu was responding Wednesday to a reporter who had asked why she feels Mark Carney is more capable of leading the Liberal party than her long-time federal cabinet colleague, Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister.
She endorsed Carney in a brief statement Tuesday on social media.
In an interview, she referred to his term as governor of the Bank of England between 2013 and 2020, something she and Carney talked about in a recent chat in which she said he demonstrated his ability to work across partisan lines.
"You'll recall that the Prime Minister at the time was Boris Johnson. Brexit was extraordinarily difficult. There were leadership challenges. There were political challenges. There were economic challenges, and of course there was the relationship with the European Union. And in order to do that work you have to be able to listen to other people."
To surmount those kinds of challenges, Hajdu said, "you have to be able to do that work with respect, and you have to be able to have a sort of a big tent approach where ideas and solutions coming from a variety of different voices are welcomed."
She said Carney's experience in the UK and as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis gives her comfort in the quality of his leadership.
When asked how realistic it is to expect him to overcome the Liberal party's dismal polling numbers before the next federal election, Hajdu suggested the party's unpopularity is due to voter fatigue with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"But I can also tell you that there's a renewed enthusiasm with the calibre of a candidate for the leader of the Liberal party that Mark Carney represents, and I think that he is a fresh voice for the party."
She said he will bring back into the fold Liberals who have felt disengaged or disenfranchised, and that he represents a chance to renew a vision, not just for the party but for the country.
Hajdu also took a swipe at Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, saying "there's a profound dislike" for him.
The Conservative party currently holds a 23-point lead over the Liberals, and would be projected to win a sweeping majority if an election were held today.
