The subtle art of Mark Carney’s boringness
And why it’s working
Ever since Justin Trudeau got divorced, I wanted him to star in a season of The Bachelor Canada. His season would be a total hit: he would do a hometown visit in Quebec and wow some parents with his French, and he could introduce the contestants to Michael Bublé.
However, I would not watch Mark Carney on The Bachelor Canada. This has nothing to do with his looks or his 31-year marriage, but his lack of charm. Carney would not create fun reality television.
And this is exactly why I’m excited to vote for him.
Right away, I noticed that Carney presents himself as a bland, academic economist who I don’t particularly want to get a beer with. He refuses to shapeshift into a showy performer, signalling to me that he will not turn our country into a reality TV spectacle. A low bar, yes, but one that unfortunately must be considered in this political moment.
Carney doesn’t shout like Pierre Poilievre and he doesn’t make TikToks like Jagmeet Singh*. Aside from a viral video with Mike Myers at the beginning of his campaign, he hasn’t had any particularly click bait-y moments. Trump can’t even come up with a nickname for Carney because he is far too boring to mock.
Carney’s blandness isn't just a refreshing foil to the screamer down south, but feels familiar. He gives off the polite yet distant demeanour of someone on the Toronto subway who avoids eye contact with everyone, but steps out of the way for you when you exit the train. I recognized this familiar passive aggression when he decided to first visit England and France — not the U.S. — when he became prime minister.
Carney embodies white Canadian culture. He comes off as friendly but not too friendly and reasonable but not malleable. I was impressed with how he used this cultural coding to create a sense of calm and trust around his campaign. And it’s clearly worked: CBC predicts a Liberal victory.
After years of people criticizing Trudeau’s hair and attitude, Carney’s classically Canadian demeanour stopped all that for the Liberal party. When people talk about Carney, they don’t really talk about him, they talk about his platform. People don’t take a second look at his appearance or his personality because he looks and acts like a stereotypical Canadian prime minister: an older, serious white guy**.
With or without Carney, this remains an important election because Canadians fear the effects of the tariffs and the threat of American expansionism (record numbers of people already cast their ballots in advanced polls). So please vote today for the candidate you believe will best protect our country!
Xo
Sabina
*Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Jagmeet Singh TikTok.
**Problematic, duh.