Usually, when a prime minister leaves political life, that kind of job may be offered to him for his next career. Here, the opposite is true. Mr. Carney had a thriving career in business and investment funds, and he decided to leave a very lucrative job to become Prime Minister of Canada. It pays well. He makes about $420,000 a year, but he must have made a lot more at Brookfield.
That being said, he holds deferred stock options. The Conflict of Interest Act seems unclear in this regard, because this is an unprecedented situation. We are talking about a prime minister who stands to receive a fortune, millions of dollars, from an investment fund following his tenure as prime minister.
We don't know if that will last two, five, seven or 10 years, but we do know that he has the opportunity to influence investments and create public-private partnerships with companies funded by Brookfield, which will indirectly increase its share capital in the future.
Doesn't this situation make you uncomfortable, given that Brookfield is a highly respected firm worldwide?
You risk creating something that you won't be very proud of, ethically speaking.