Canada’s political landscape has rarely seen a figure rise as swiftly—and as contentiously—as Mark Carney. Elected prime minister on April 29, 2025, after just four months in politics, Carney has become a lightning rod for criticism and praise alike, both at home and abroad. In recent weeks, his government’s decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine has brought simmering tensions to a boil, exposing deep rifts in Canadian society and straining relations with the United States, all while Carney faces a barrage of personal and political attacks.
On September 23, 2025, Carney stood before reporters in Ottawa, defending his government’s recognition of Palestinian statehood. The move, which aligns Canada with 155 other nations—including the United Kingdom, France, and Australia—has been sharply criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. According to the National Post, Trump accused Canada and its allies of encouraging “continued conflict” in the Middle East by, in his words, “rewarding” Hamas for its October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel. Trump warned, “The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refused to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire.”
Trump’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly were unequivocal. He called on all member states to “come together” to stop the war in Gaza, negotiate lasting peace, and secure the release of the remaining hostages—48 men and women believed to be held in Gaza, with Israel estimating that 20 may still be alive. “We have to get them back now. We don’t want to get back two, then another two, and then one and then three… No, we want them all back. And we want the… dead bodies back too. Those parents came to me, and they want them back… as though they were alive,” Trump said, underscoring the emotional and political stakes of the ongoing conflict.
Carney, for his part, has echoed the imperative that Hamas release all hostages, insisting that the group “can play no role in the future governance of the state of Palestine.” He pointed to the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to hold general elections in 2026—elections in which, he stressed, Hamas would not participate. At the same time, Carney has not shied from criticizing Israel, accusing it of pursuing “an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.”
The decision to recognize Palestinian statehood has not gone unchallenged by Canada’s domestic opposition. Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar lambasted the move, calling it “appeasement” and “betrayal,” especially given its timing on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. “Doing this on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, emboldening mobs and violence upon our Jewish communities, is evil,” Majumdar said. “The Prime Minister has dispensed with human dignity and the rule of law. He has emboldened terror with the state. It is evil.”
Not all voices in Parliament are opposed, however. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies expressed his party’s “full support” for the recognition of Palestinian statehood, but cautioned that it “cannot simply be a symbolic gesture.” Davies called on the government to “press Israel to cease its hostilities immediately, to have both parties agree to a ceasefire and to immediately commence peace talks.”
Meanwhile, Carney remains adamant that Canada’s foreign policy is guided by principle. “Canada has values, and Canada sticks by those values. We have an independent foreign policy. We make decisions that are consistent with our values,” he told reporters in New York. He emphasized that Canada’s objective in the Middle East is “exactly the same” as the United States: to establish peace in the region. Carney also revealed that he had participated in “side meetings” with influential powers at the United Nations General Assembly to discuss ending the war in Gaza, suggesting that “there is some complementarity to these efforts, and we will continue to do our bit.”
Yet, Carney’s first months in office have been anything but smooth sailing. According to the Trumpet, his rapid ascent to power was fueled less by a thorough vetting of his policies than by a wave of anti-Trump sentiment. Running on a “Canada Strong” platform, Carney promised an “elbows up” approach to Trump, vowing to fight American tariffs and to defend Canadian interests. But since taking office, he has reversed several high-profile promises, scrapping climate initiatives like the carbon tax and repealing reciprocal tariffs on the U.S.—moves that have left both supporters and critics scratching their heads.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been especially scathing, penning an op-ed accusing Carney of “broken promises and weakness.” Poilievre wrote, “Mark Carney Promised Strength. He Delivered Surrender.” He continued, “He promised transparency. He delivered a deception. Canadians can now see the pattern. Carney promises discipline, but gives us debt. He promises strength, but delivers weakness. He promises integrity, but hides his own interests.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Carney has faced allegations of plagiarism in his 1995 Oxford doctoral thesis. The National Post reported that Carney’s dissertation contained passages lifted from works by Michael E. Porter and Jeremy C. Stein, among others, without proper attribution. While Carney’s thesis supervisor, Margaret Meyer, suggested that calling it plagiarism was a “mischaracterization,” the controversy has lingered, with critics arguing that Canadian media largely buried the story and that Carney dismissed the allegations without adequate explanation.
Media outlets across the spectrum have questioned Carney’s identity, agenda, and transparency. The Toronto Star ran headlines such as “Mark Carney Isn’t Who He Said He Was,” while the Toronto Sun and the Ottawa Citizen have similarly asked, “Who’s the Real Mark Carney on Climate Change?” and “We Don’t Yet Know Who Mark Carney Really Is.” Even the left-leaning Walrus observed, “Why Carney won is clear. Who Carney is—less so. … Aside from being one of the luckiest politicians in Canada, he also came into the job as one of the most unvetted.”
Behind the scenes, Carney has been quietly reforming the civil service and centralizing power within the Prime Minister’s Office, often bypassing parliamentary debate and transparency. His background as a former Goldman Sachs banker, governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, and regular attendee at the World Economic Forum has led some to label him an elitist. His 2021 book, Values: Building a Better World for All, reveals a worldview influenced by Catholic social doctrine and Pope Francis, outlining seven core values—dynamism, resilience, sustainability, fairness, responsibility, solidarity, and humility—that Carney says guide his vision for Canada and its foreign policy.
As Canada’s place on the world stage shifts under Carney’s leadership, the country finds itself at a crossroads. With 156 countries now recognizing Palestinian statehood and Carney hinting at the need for future peacekeeping missions in the region, the stakes for Canada’s foreign policy—and its own domestic unity—have rarely been higher. Whether Carney’s approach will bring the peace and stability he promises, or further deepen existing divisions, remains to be seen. But for now, the eyes of both allies and critics are fixed on Ottawa, waiting to see what Canada’s next move will be.
