Opinion | Mark Carney could do the right thing and make a hero out of 23 MPs at the same time - Toronto Star

Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, walks with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, left, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford as they make an announcement regarding housing and affordability at a new condo development in Toronto on Monday, March 30, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Peter Donolo served as communications director for former prime minister Jean Chretien from 1993 to 1999, the longest tenure in such role in Canadian history.

As Mark Carney often reminds us, he is not, as he puts it, “a career politician.”

In many ways, that is a good thing. After two decades of rancorous, often toxic uber-partisanship, Carney’s no-nonsense, low-key approach is a welcome relief and reassuring to Canadians who have been deeply unnerved by Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on our country.

But even strong leaders — especially strong leaders — need to be on guard against their gaps in knowledge and blind spots. They need to encourage those around them to speak truth to power. And they need to be sensitive to what is happening on the ground in communities across the country — not just in the boardrooms and capitals, important as those are.

The Prime Minister is clearly a serious student of history, referencing Sir Isaac Brock and the War of 1812 in his inaugural “Forward Guidance” address to Canadians. But the Prime Minister would be well advised to brush up on more recent episodes in Toronto’s history, particularly as Premier Doug Ford moves forward with his unprecedented land and power grab to expand the airport and allow jets on Toronto Island.