Carney lands on Time’s most influential list

Perhaps it was the widely cited speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, or maybe a so-called George Clooney-like swagger. 

Whatever it is, Prime Minister Mark Carney is finding himself in the international spotlight again, this time in the pages of Time magazine as part of its annual most influential people list. 

Championed by Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, Carney was one of the 24 people in the leaders section of The 100 Most Influential People of 2026, which was released earlier this week by Time. 

Aside from mentioning his frequent nickname in the banking world, “George Clooney of finance,” and calling him a “rock-star central-bank governor,” Lagarde noted his early recognition of how international co-operation is at risk of collapsing as one reason for his inclusion.

Lagarde said that after becoming prime minister in 2025, Carney was the first to identify the “breaking point of multilateralism as we have known it for decades.”

“I trust he will now reinvent cooperation among the willing for the common good of all,” she wrote in Time. 

Carney is joined on the list by other leaders including Pope Leo XIV, U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The list is broken into categories including artists, pioneers, titans, icons, leaders and innovators. 

Carney came to power after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau stepped down as Liberal leader. In the leadership race, Carney dominated with more than 85 per cent of the vote in March 2025. He won a minority government a little more than than a month later and recently secured a majority through a combination of floor-crossings from other parties and three recent byelection wins in Ontario and Quebec. 

In January, Carney gave a speech in Davos that found resonance around the world, particularly with other middle power countries. 

“We know the old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” Carney said. “But we believe that from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just.” 

However, it wasn’t praised by everyone, particularly south of the border. The Trump administration panned it widely, including Trump himself. 

“Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said after the speech. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

Before becoming prime minister, Carney served as central bank governor, first at the Bank of Canada and later with the Bank of England. 

The last time a Canadian prime minister was on the list was Justin Trudeau in 2016. He was championed by Lorne Michaels, the legendary TV producer and mastermind behind “Saturday Night Live.”

Michaels said at the time he believed Trudeau would be “a force for good.”

Trudeau also shared a spot on Time’s list with Trump that year. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2025.

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