Meet Diana Fox Carney

Sponsored by

Good morning! 

After over a month of campaigning, today is finally election day!

As everyone has been saying, this is the most crucial election in modern Canadian history. But beyond that, it’s one that has kept all of us on our toes. Polls have changed drastically in the last few months. Personally, I choose to look at polls strictly as a vantage point, but try not to put too much thought into them because so many factors are at play.

This has been an incredibly busy election for the Lookout and I hope you enjoyed the federal coverage we have done over the last week. While we are predominantly a city publication, we felt it was important to fill a void in local media. By my last count I have interviewed over 18 people as part of our elections coverage, focused on issues here in Ottawa.

It was also a pleasure to work with an amazing team of freelancers who you will hopefully see appear more in the future, as we slowly build out our team in 2025.

Today, we wanted to end our election coverage with a bang. I sat down with Diana Fox Carney, the wife of Liberal Party leader Mark Carney, for an exclusive interview. We touched on her life, who the Prime Minister is at home, and what she has learned canvassing in Nepean.

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor, [email protected], X: @Charlie_Senack

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign up for free.

WEATHER

Monday: 19 🌡️ 7 | ⛅️  

Tuesday: 22 🌡️ 0 | 🌧️  

Wednesday: 10 🌡️ 1 | ⛅️ 

OTTAWA NUMBERS

🗄️ 44,000: The number of advance votes cast in Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s riding of Carleton, the most in the country. [CBC]

EXCLUSIVE

Meet Diana Fox Carney

Read the story online.

It’s the eve of election day and dozens of red-clad volunteers are working hard inside Nepean Liberal candidate Mark Carney’s Hunt Club area campaign office. 

There is excitement and nerves in the air as the month-long campaign comes to an end. While polls are in Carney’s favour both locally and nationally, nobody is taking the numbers for granted. 

With the Liberal party leader campaigning across Canada, there is little time for Carney to spend in the riding he hopes to represent. On Sunday alone he had six campaign stops in four provinces: Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. 

The responsibility then falls on the volunteers to spread the party message locally. 

One of their fiercest supporters has been someone who knows the Liberal leader perhaps better than anyone: Diana Fox Carney, the former central banker's wife, who’s spent days in rain, cold, sleet, and sunshine, walking the streets of Nepean. 

In her only interview with the media, Ms. Carney sat down exclusively with the Lookout to share a bit about herself, what the campaigning experience has been like and why people should vote for the man she’s been married to for over 30 years. 

Nepean is much like most of Canada, says Ms. Carney 

Ms. Carney has never been involved in politics before. Instead, she worked in policy on topics like agriculture, climate, nature and biodiversity. 

At first it was a bit daunting knocking on strangers’ doors, she says, but was quickly put at ease by the generosity of Nepeanites. 

“I'm the second choice; I’m sure at the doors people would be more excited to see Mark, but I think it’s really important for both of us to get to know the riding. He’s not able to do that right now but after he will get to spend more time doing that. I’ve got to be his eyes and ears a little bit,” said Ms. Carney. 

“I’ve been struck by how friendly people are. The people I’ve met in this campaign office and volunteering. I love the diversity. My husband said it when he first came to this office that this is a representative riding of Canada. It’s bilingual; it’s got every community here. We had a great time at the Sikh Festival, the Celebration of Eid, and a variety of other cultural things we’ve done here.”

There’s been a lot of controversy as to how well the Carneys actually know Nepean. Their home is on the other side of the city in a more affluent neighbourhood than the suburb where the average income is between $50,000 to $55,000. But Ms. Carney, whose family moved to Canada in July 2000 and has lived in Ottawa for 20 years, said they’ve travelled there for occasions over the years. 

“I’ve been to Nepean intermittently over the years I’ve been in Ottawa. My kids have friends here, always for hockey, and to visit different businesses. The first thing that struck me was how big this riding is. You basically go into the countryside,” she said. 

Ms. Carney said she tries to “channel” her husband when she’s campaigning in Nepean and is proud of the team of volunteers who stepped up when they weren’t yet fully aware of their new candidate. 

She’s also eager to spend more time in the suburban riding. 

“I’m a big explorer of greenspaces. I’ve been thinking I should do more exploring of the Greenbelt,” said Mrs. Carney 

When he was first elected, Mr. Carney shared a similar sentiment and referenced being best friends with Nepeanite Peter Chiarelli, former general manager of both the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. 

So who are the Carneys? 

Despite her newfound presence in the public eye, Ms. Carney likes to live a relatively private life. She enjoys going for runs along the Ottawa River — something she did two hours before our interview — or skiing through Gatineau Park in the winter. She also enjoys making ceramics in her cottage studio or playing pickup hockey. 

Now that spring has sprung, Ms. Carney is gearing up to garden at her Rockcliffe Park home. (And in case you’re wondering, she says the Prime Minister doesn’t have much of a green thumb.)

Instead, he has a passion for music – when he’s not working on diving into a book. 

“He spends a lot of time reading and thinking — that’s his personality. He has all these books in his office and I clean them up and think ‘he will never read this’, but he always says ‘it’s a very interesting one.’ Somehow, he manages to get all that done while also prioritizing family,” she said. 

“I’m not going to say he’s the most practical person around the house, but one of his core skills is music. He follows music very deeply and keeps up with new music in a way I never could,” Ms. Carney added. “He’s very good at music trivia and he’s always discovering new bands and such.”

There is also his love of hockey. Mr. Carney is a fan of the Edmonton Oilers — a city he moved to at the age of six — but also has a newfound love for the Ottawa Senators, which he referenced during a recent Nepean campaign event. 

As to not be accused of saying different things in different places, Mr. Carney also gave support to the Toronto Maple Leafs — a statement perhaps not shared by his wife. 

“Ough… that’s a tough one,” she said intensely.   

The Carneys have been married for 31 years 

The couple met while attending the University of Oxford; Mr. Carney was studying economics, Ms. Carney agriculture economics. They bonded over their passion for hockey. 

The University of Oxford Ice Hockey Club website says the young Ms. Carney was “known for her ability to skate rings around her opponents and move effortlessly through the opposing defensive line." A source told the Toronto Star that Mr. Carney thought she was the best on the team after watching a game. 

The rest is history. The Carneys wed in 1994 and four children soon followed: Cleo, Tess, Amelia and Sasha.

Ms. Carney went on to have a successful career, including as vice president of Canada 2020, which is a think tank focused on issues around climate, energy, social mobility and inequality. She then later became a director of strategy and engagement at the Institute for Public Policy Research. 

Before his job as Liberal party leader, Mr. Carney spent 13 years at Goldman Sachs, then joined the Bank of Canada as deputy governor and was senior associate deputy minister and G7 deputy in the Department of Finance Canada. 

Promotion then came calling and Carney became Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013. He was largely credited for managing what could have been catastrophic impacts from the 2008 financial crisis. 

In 2013 Mr. Carney left that role to become Governor of the Bank of England. Ms. Carney said it was a bit of a shock. 

“I was surprised we went to the UK. I thought we’d never go because he always said it had to be Canada,” she said. 

What was not a surprise, Ms. Carney says, was her husband's run to be Prime Minister. 

“He always had a deep yearning for public service. He’s got this focus for making things better for the country,” she said. “He always comes back.” 

As Prime Minister and party leader, Mr. Carney has branded himself as the best man to take on U.S. President Donald Trump amidst a tariff war. 

For Ms. Carney, both when they first met and throughout the campaign, there has never been any doubt about her husband’s love of Canada. 

“When I first met him I was first struck by his degree of patriotism,” said Ms. Carney. ”He walked away from a lot of interesting roles. But deep in his heart, if his country calls, he will be there.”

The Lookout reached out to the Conservatives for an interview but did not hear back.

SPONSORED BY SHEPHERD PSYCHOTHERAPY

2 new therapists join our Centretown office!

Thinking about starting therapy?

We're a small team of psychotherapists offering individual and couples therapy at 437 Gilmour.

Get help with:

⚡️ Anxiety
☁️ Depression
❣️ Relationships
🧠 Trauma & PTSD
❤️‍🩹 Grief & Loss
💡 ADHD

View Therapist Profiles

Looking for reduced-fee therapy?

John offers $60 sessions both in-person & online, supervised by a Registered Psychotherapist. Book online or request a 15-minute consultation call.

Not sure where to start? Submit a service request on our home page and we'll follow up with a few referrals that match your requests.

THE AGENDA

👮 Ottawa’s Filipino community is mourning the tragedy in Vancouver over the weekend, after a man in an SUV struck and killed 11 people, with many more injured. The man had a history with police, including many mental health issues. A prayer vigil will be held at Parliament Hill today at 7 pm. [CTV]

🗳️ The Ottawa Police Association has endorsed the Conservatives in this federal election. The decision came after what the union called a thorough review, and the party’s support for “challenges faced by our officers and to ensure safer streets for all Canadians.” [CTV]

🚌 Yesterday marked the first day of OC Transpo’s “New Ways to Bus” plan. Most routes have been changed, including new stops and faster connections to the train. The Lookout will have a deeper dive into these changes this week. To see how you’re personally impacted, you can use OC Transpo’s route map. [CBC]

👮 As part of the inquest recommendations into the death of Abdirahman Abdi, the Ottawa Police Service has set up a mental health advisory council, to help fix and improve how the police respond to people experiencing mental health issues. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏒 They got one! The Senators finally won against the Maple Leafs, winning 4-3 in overtime on Saturday at home. The team returns to Toronto for the do-or-die game five.

⚽️ Congrats to Min-a Lee, who made history as the first player to ever score for Ottawa Rapid FC, in a 2-1 win over Toronto. [CBC]

🏒 Meanwhile, the Ottawa Charge beat the Montreal Victoire 3-2 in the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Saturday. They now need to win against the Minnesota Frost on Wednesday to make the playoffs. [CBC]

🎲 Over in Gatineau, the area around Casino Lac Leamy may look a little different soon. The area is getting a new convention centre, at a cost of $50 million, from the Quebec government. It’s expected to take around two years to build, and it will not impact anything at the casino. [CBC]

FEDERAL ELECTION

What will the federal public service in Ottawa look like after the federal election? 

By Victor Vigas Alvarez

No other region in Canada stands to feel the swing of public service cuts more than Ottawa-Gatineau. Of the 367,772 employees who worked in the federal public service in 2024, 155,505 of them lived in the National Capital region. 

The size of the public service is one of the many questions on the ballot. In the race between the Liberals and Conservatives, both have proposed cuts in order to rein in public spending. So the question isn't whether to cut or not to cut, but how much each party is planning?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

No, this is not a photo of your least favourite political party! A few Reddit users have noted that more and more garbage appears to be piling up in places. Could it have something to do with the new garbage limits? If you’re seeing anything similar, let us know!

FEDERAL ELECTION

How can the federal government help Ottawa small businesses?

By Victor Vigas Alvarez. With files by Charlie Senack.

It’s no secret that businesses across Canada are starting to feel the trickle-down effects of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

While we may not think of tariffs on aluminum or car parts as particularly relevant in our day-to-day lives, the trickle down from things to restaurant ingredients to orange juice to birthday decorations is all around us. And Ottawa businesses are not immune, either.

As the federal election reaches its watershed moment, the Ottawa Lookout spoke to members of the Ottawa business community to check the temperature on what might help businesses in different sectors.

Coming off the Liberals’ winter GST break, there was some reprieve for restaurants, said Michael Wood, a small business advocate and former owner of Ottawa Special Events.

“Different people have different sides of what the impact was. I've actually heard from servers in restaurants that have said tips were down because a lot of people just see the bill and then tip, even though you usually tip before taxes,” he said. “But the businesses themselves did see a couple more people coming in. 

Read the story

OUR ELECTION COVERAGE

Missed any of our stories? Here’s all the Lookout’s exclusive coverage in just under two weeks!

Ottawa-West Nepean candidates share their election platforms. Meanwhile, Ottawa South candidates say more affordable housing is needed in the riding. For Kanata candidates, rent control, public transit and supporting the tech sector are key priorities. Ottawa Centre candidates also shared their plans to revitalize the downtown core.

Transit emerged as a major issue for the federal campaigns in Ottawa. Same with interprovincial issues, like better transit connectivity between Gatineau and Ottawa.

But how do the housing campaign promises between each party compare? “Intriguing” says one council member. We also spoke with the Ottawa branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees to understand what issues matter to seniors.

EVENTS

Moss Art Workshop | Parking Indigo Ottawa - St. Margaret's Anglican Church 206 Montréal Rd | April 30, 9 pm - 8:30 pm | General Admission $54.58

Supersonic Hearts Band | Manor Lounge, 292 Elgin Street, Ottawa | May 1, 8 pm | High-energy live music performing throughout the summer | Tickets $10

Ottawa International Writers Festival | Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., Ottawa | May 1–4 & May 14–16, various times | Celebrating books, ideas, and storytelling with top authors | Various prices

Urban Art Collective Hintonburg Night Market | Urban Art Collective, 1088 Somerset Street West, Ottawa | Thursdays from May 1 to Sept. 25, 4 pm | Weekly outdoor market with eats, treats and entertainment | Free admission

Cinderella: Presented by Les Petits Ballets | Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe, 101 Centrepointe Dr, Ottawa | May 2–3, various times | Family-friendly ballet of the classic fairy tale | Tickets $18+

Ottawa Rapid FC | TD Place at Lansdowne, 1015 Bank Street | May 15, various times | Pro women’s soccer team ongoing games | Tickets $24+

OTTAWA QUIZ

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• In Orleans this week? We have some recommendations of restaurants to eat at

• The Irish Film Festival has been going on for 10 years. Here’s what it means to the festival co-founder Patrick Murray. [Apt613]

• Now that’s how you cheer in a hockey game!

• The All Hands on Deck charity auction at Beyond the Pale Brewing is raising money for two important local charities until May 4.

• If you need pork, this butcher is the place to go