Empty limo arrives at Mark Carney leadership bid announcement event, sparking false claims

A limo arrives before Mark Carney's Liberal leader campaign launch in Edmonton on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. Carney did not arrive in this limo, contrary to claims shared on social media. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Claims that former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney took a limousine to his Liberal party leadership bid announcement event in Edmonton on Thursday spread on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, the same day. There is no evidence for these claims. The limousine service said they received a request to pick up a passenger, not drop them off, but nobody showed up. A staff member from the limo company said it never transported anyone in the limo seen at Carney's event and a spokesperson for Carney said he came to and left the event by car.

On Jan. 16 several X accounts Mark Carney took a Rolls-Royce limousine to the Edmonton community centre where he launched his federal Liberal party leadership bid.

The posts included a picture of a white stretch limousine supposedly seen at the event.

One user wrote Carney was "completely out of touch," in a with more than 7,000 likes.

Rating: False

The limousine did appear at the event on Thursday, as confirmed by multiple reporters at the event and the limo company, A City Limos.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø called the number of the limousine company listed on a sticker on the back of the limo seen at the Carney event.

A staff member who answered said an anonymous customer requested a pickup at the event and paid online.

However, the customer never showed up and the company never transported anyone in the limo at the event that day, the staff member said.

Two ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Press reporters who were at the event, Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson, said a limo pulled up in front of media before the event started.

Both reporters said the driver told members of the media there was nobody inside the limo.

The driver left after about a minute, but since reporters entered the venue to report on the event, it's possible they could have missed someone entering or exiting the limo, Johnson said.

On X, CityNews reporter Sean Amato Carney left the event rehearsal earlier that day in running shoes and in a "regular car."

A spokesperson for Carney told ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø he both arrived to and left the event in a car driven by a volunteer.

Sources

X posts with claims posted () and () on Jan. 16, 2025

Mark Carney launches leadership bid, comes out swinging against Pierre Poilievre – ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, Jan. 16, 2025 ()

X from user @JSJamato on Jan. 17, 2025 (, )

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