(Bloomberg) — Brookfield Asset Management and Mark Carney are being targeted by a member of Canada’s Conservative Party who wants Canada’s lobbying watchdog to investigate them.
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Conservative MP Michael Barrett asked the lobbying commissioner to investigate “the activities” of Carney to see if they comply with government regulations. The former central banker recently agreed to act as an adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party on economic policy.
Conservatives have argued there is a conflict between that role and his job at Brookfield, a global alternative asset manager. Carney is Brookfield’s chairman and head of transition investments, and has helped lead the company’s fundraising efforts for funds investing in clean technology and decarbonization.
Barrett’s letter does not mean that the lobbying watchdog will take action. Carney’s advisory position is with a political party, not the government, and it is unlikely that his work would actually fall under the scope of Canada’s Lobbying Act. But the complaint is yet another signal of the political heat the Conservatives are putting on Carney and Brookfield, who have a wide lead over the Liberals in the polls.
The letter argues that Carney’s policy work for the Liberals has the potential to put government officials in an awkward position in any discussion that could involve Brookfield. As an example, the lawmaker pointed to a news report that Brookfield has set up a new investment fund that would take capital from Canadian pension funds and the federal government.
Barrett asked the lobbying commissioner to open a formal investigation, if necessary, that would extend to Brookfield’s “acquired companies and subsidiaries.”
Cabinet minister Karina Gould said the Conservatives were simply making a “personal attack.”
“There is a reason why Canadians who enjoy global recognition are working to support a progressive vision for this country,” she said in the House of Commons. “But what we see from the Conservatives is that when Canadians or organizations don’t support them, they just attack.”
Carney and Brookfield did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In addition to his jobs in Brookfield, Carney holds several other business and philanthropic positions, including chairman of Bloomberg Inc.
He is the former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, and is the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.
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