Catherine McKenna defends Mark Carney after details emerge about his Trump call

While Liberal Leader Mark Carney's opponents impeach him of being dishonest astir the details of his telephone telephone with Donald Trump, 1 erstwhile Liberal furniture curate says helium remains the campaigner astir qualified to woody with the U.S. president.

Carney confirmed connected Thursday that Trump reiterated his tendency to marque Canada the 51st authorities during their telephone telephone past month, a item archetypal revealed by Radio Canada.

This contradicts with Carney's assertion connected March 28, soon aft the call, that Trump "respected Canada's sovereignty" during their conversation. 

Carney has defended his archetypal statement, noting that Trump "says a batch of things" but, ultimately, agreed to negociate with Canada connected a nation-to-nation ground aft the national election.

His governmental opponents, however, are not convinced by this explanation.  

Conservative Leader Pierre Poillievre called connected Carney to explicate what truly happened connected the call; NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused Carney of not being "straight up" with Canadians; and Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet described the telephone arsenic "a stunt" designed to marque Carney look similar a large negotiator. 

Catherine McKenna, however, is sticking by the Liberal leader. She served arsenic curate of situation and past infrastructure nether erstwhile Liberal premier curate Justin Trudeau, and has been retired campaigning for the Liberals. Here is portion of her speech with As It Happens host Nil Koksal.

Is the Liberal person being consecutive with Canadians astir the U.S. president's cognition towards Canada and towards him? 

I'm not definite we're focused connected the main happening ... which is Donald Trump has continuously said that helium wants Canada to beryllium the 51st state. 

Mark Carney was wide that, successful presumption of the tariff issues ... some countries volition negociate arsenic sovereign nations. And I deliberation this conscionable highlights however important this predetermination is. 

I'm virtually going of my ain accord crossed the state due to the fact that I americium truthful acrophobic by Trump's attacks, some connected our workers, connected trade, our economy, but besides connected our sovereignty. And we request idiosyncratic who's going to basal up to Trump. And I tin beryllium 100 per cent definite with Canadians — from everything I know, and I've known Mark Carney for 20 years, and I worked with him internationally — that helium volition basal up and support Canada's sovereignty. 

There's this thought that … it isn't superior what Donald Trump is saying. It should beryllium taken arsenic dormant serious. And that's wherefore we request a superior leader, an big who's going to basal up to Donald Trump. And that is Mark Carney. 

WATCH | Carney responds to Radio Canada story:

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet [wrote connected X] ... that the 51st authorities contented comes backmost into the news, arsenic helium puts it, each clip Liberals get worried, adjacent if it means Mark Carney's honesty is called into question…. Are you acrophobic that this benignant of happening could crook voters disconnected and crook them distant from Mark Carney and the Liberals astatine this stage?

Unless I'm missing something, conscionable yesterday, Donald Trump came retired again, and helium said [Canada should beryllium the 51st state.] I don't deliberation helium says these things to assistance Mark Carney successful an election. He says them successful private. He says it successful public. His property caput says it. 

This is simply a superior thing. Like, this isn't going away. 

We person a batch of workers who person mislaid jobs. I'm primitively from Hamilton, truthful they're autoworkers. But we're besides talking astir successful Quebec, folks that enactment successful aluminum. You know, he's targeted lumber, truthful that is B.C. I mean, it's crossed the country. This is the issue. And I can't stress capable however erstwhile I speech to Canadians, they're truly worried. 

So to marque airy of this and accidental that the Liberals are conscionable bringing up Donald Trump, but it's not a thing? I deliberation we've seen implicit the past fewer months however disruptive helium is consenting to be.

WATCH | Trump brings up 51st authorities again: 

That's wherefore we request a person similar Mark Carney, who not lone tin basal up to Donald Trump, but connected a velocity dial, helium tin telephone Prime Minister [Keir] Starmer successful the U.K. He tin telephone President [Emmanuel] Macron successful France. 

And to beryllium honorable — and I cognize Pierre Poillievre amended than most, fixed that I took astir each question successful question play from him — he's not a superior guy. He works successful soundbites. And connected his velocity dial, it's [right-wing media personality] Jordan Peterson.

What would you say, Catherine, though, to voters — possibly adjacent younger voters, successful peculiar — for whom cost-of-living issues are precise existent and precise worrisome astatine this stage? ... What would you accidental to radical who consciousness that Mark Carney doesn't look to recognize however heavy these issues are for them?

I besides speech to young voters, and I person kids. And Mark Carney is talking astir the issues that they're acrophobic about. 

He's talking astir monolithic mobilization and gathering affordable housing, similar we saw aft the Second World War. 

He's besides talking astir clime change. And I perceive that a batch from young people, you know, who's going to instrumentality enactment connected clime change? Pierre Poilievre is virtually going to destruct each of the policies that we person connected clime change. 

But what is truly going to interaction our modular of surviving and our costs is this commercialized war. People person mislaid jobs. They cannot wage bills. We're going to spot ostentation astir apt arsenic a effect of Donald Trump's action. He whitethorn beryllium throwing the satellite into a planetary recession. And that is the contiguous issue. 

On the contented of acquisition and your narration with Mark Carney — you've known him for a agelong time. You've talked astir his acquisition and the telephone calls he'd beryllium capable to marque … should the enactment triumph this election. But what bash you accidental to critics who accidental the information that helium has ne'er held elected bureau is simply a occupation here, particularly astatine this captious time?

I ne'er held elected bureau until I got elected. 

But premier curate is simply a antithetic thing.

[Poilievre] works successful slogans and dependable bites. He's ne'er had a occupation extracurricular of politics. Like helium has a pension for life.

Mark Carney has virtually taken Canada done an economical situation erstwhile helium was politician of the Bank of Canada. And past helium went to the U.K. [where] it was besides bonkers. There was Brexit and helium had to woody with that. 

That's the acquisition we need. 

Interview produced by Kate Swoger. Q&A has been edited for magnitude and clarity. During this election, As It Happens has besides spoken with representatives and supporters of the Conservative Party, the Green Party, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois.