TORONTO, September 12 — Michael Taube, a Canadian columnist and former speechwriter in the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has published a column in the Toronto Sun arguing that Mark Carney has made a serious misstep in his approach to the European Union, calling the situation an “EU mistake” that is “nearly complete.” The column is Taube’s assessment of Carney’s handling of Canada-EU relations, and it is an opinion piece rather than a news report.
Its central claim — that Carney’s EU posture is approaching a final, irreversible stage — is Taube’s own characterization, not an established fact. Taube’s argument rests on his view that Carney, whose reputation was built on international financial stewardship rather than elected office, has misjudged the politics of Canada’s engagement with Europe.
That critique carries particular weight given Taube’s background. He served as a speechwriter in the office of Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister from 2006 to 2015, and has since worked as a political commentator and columnist for Canadian newspapers, including the Toronto Sun. Carney’s own career includes serving as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, the first non-Briton to hold the latter post.
He later served as an advisor to the Canadian government before entering politics.
The broader stakes for Canada-EU relations
The column lands within a wider debate over Canada’s relationship with the European Union, a file that has drawn sustained attention from Canadian policymakers and commentators alike. Taube’s piece frames Carney’s EU posture as a strategic error, and the headline framing — that the mistake is “nearly complete” — signals his view that the window for correction is closing. What the column does not do is offer specific figures, polling numbers, or direct quotations from Carney.
No such data appears in the source material, and the piece should be read as one columnist’s opinion rather than a documented account of policy outcomes. For now, the story is anchored to the publication of Taube’s column and the argument it advances.
Whether Carney responds, and whether the critique gains traction among other Canadian commentators, is the next thing to watch.
