Carney attending Question Period far less than Trudeau
Prime Minister Mark Carney attended just 33 of the first 123 Question Periods in this Parliament (26.8%), compared with 51 for Justin Trudeau (41.5%) and 80 for Stephen Harper (65%).
Author: Alex Dhaliwal
Prime Minister Mark Carney is attending Question Period far less often than his predecessors, drawing scrutiny as Canada enters a “technical recession” after a third GDP contraction in four quarters reported by Statistics Canada.
A Global News analysis of House of Commons Question Period attendance found Carney has shown up at just 33 of the first 123 Question Periods in this Parliament, well below former prime ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper, even as Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre presses for answers on the economy.
Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said he expected Mark Carney to answer questions after Statistics Canada reported a third GDP contraction in four quarters. Two consecutive quarters of negative growth indicate a recession.
The analysis found Prime Minister Mark Carney attended just 33 of the first 123 Question Periods in this Parliament (26.8%), compared with 51 for Justin Trudeau (41.5%) and 80 for Stephen Harper (65%).
“Question period, where normally prime ministers go to answer, especially in a moment of crisis… you’d expect him to be accountable… but he’s not showing up,” Poilievre told reporters Monday in front the House of Commons.
The Opposition leader sought to challenge his Liberal counterpart over what Conservatives call a “full-blown” recession, saying Carney skipped Question Period to avoid questions about his economic record.
Conservatives point to two consecutive GDP declines, 112,000 jobs lost in early 2026, and food insecurity affecting about a quarter of households as evidence of Canada’s recent economic performance.
Poilievre mocked Carney as a “great economic genius,” saying he prioritizes photo ops over questions on the economy.
During the photo op, the Prime Minister posed for photos in a hard hat but did not take questions on the StatCan report.
He shook hands with workers, then left the manufacturing floor as media were asked to leave, according to a Parliamentary Press Gallery pool report.
When questioned about his attendance record on April 22, Carney said, “I answer questions all the time… and I believe in [my] ministers, secretaries of state, parliamentary secretaries responding.”
During a testy Tuesday exchange with Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, Poilievre said Canadian workers are “tired of a prime minister who causes this recession” and avoids Question Period, again noting Mark Carney’s absence.
“This is people’s lives,” he continued. “They’re tired of working six days a week and not able to afford their rent. They’re tired of showing up at the grocery store and having to hand products back at the checkout because they can’t afford to pay them. They’re tired of making their way over to the food bank and finding that the food bank is empty.”
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Carney took media questions five days after the StatCan report, attributing “economic weakness” to lower immigration and avoiding the term recession. He did not appear in the House of Commons.
“Are we in a recession?” a reporter asked. Carney avoided the question, saying his government is building a “stronger, more resilient, more independent” economy and attributing weaker performance to lower immigration.
Asked the same question by Poilievre on Wednesday, Carney deflected blame onto U.S. tariffs and the Iran war without citing domestic policy.
Poilievre earlier said it would take an “emergency debate” to force Carney to “do his job,” but Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia rejected the request, saying it did not meet the requirements.