Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is currently under scrutiny for allegedly plagiarizing his 1995 doctoral thesis at Oxford University. The controversy arises as he vies for reelection in the upcoming polls on April 28.
A thorough examination of Carney’s thesis, titled “The Dynamic Advantage of Competition,” was conducted by the National Post. Three university experts identified at least 10 cases of potential plagiarism.
Experts affirmed that Carney replicated verbatim quotes, rephrased concepts, and made minor alterations to sentences from four separate references without appropriate attribution.
One of the key examples from the National Post’s report shows Carney closely copying a passage from economist Michael E. Porter’s 1990 book, “The Competitive Advantage of Nations.” On page 206 of his thesis, Carney wrote: “First, government intervention can impede international competition and artificially support domestic profits.” This is nearly identical to Porter’s original wording.
Liberal Party leader Mark Carney gives a speech to his supporters during a rally at the Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal on Thursday. (Andrej Ivanov/Getty Images)
Carney also reportedly copied sections from Jeremy C. Stein’s 1989 article in The Quarterly Journal of Economics and H.S. Shin’s 1994 article in The RAND Journal of Economics, with only minor wording changes.
The possible plagiarism appears throughout the thesis. “It’s all over the dissertation, not just one part,” said Sigalet. Even small wording changes without proper citation are still considered plagiarism.
Oxford University warns that plagiarism is a serious offense that can lead to penalties, including expulsion. “Even when you reword something, you still need to cite the source,” Sigalet added.
Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, has had a high-profile career, including top roles at Goldman Sachs and Brookfield Asset Management. He has faced criticism for his elite background and globalist tendencies.
Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Mark Carney. (Andrej Ivanov/Getty Images)
However, plagiarism allegations have led to resignations and revoked degrees for politicians and academics in the past.
Last year, Harvard University’s president Claudine Gay stepped down amid plagiarism claims, though she denied wrongdoing.
Carney is an outspoken critic of President Trump amid ongoing tariff battles between Canada and the U.S.
The National Post contributed to this report.
