Federal Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney dropped into downtown Barrie for a quick visit Friday afternoon to sip a beer and talk politics with his local supporters.
Carney attended a private event amidst tight security at Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery on Dunlop Street East.
With a pair of city cops standing outside the venue, and with his security detail shadowing him as he entered the business, Carney greeted everyone he could, including former Barrie mayor Jeff Lehman and Rose Zacharias, the Liberals' provincial candidate in Thursday night’s election.
So, why Barrie?
“Why wouldn’t you come to Barrie on a Friday afternoon and to the Flying Monkeys?” Carney told BarrieToday, while surrounded by a throng of smiling supporters.
“I’m here to hear what’s on people’s minds and to tell them what we’re planning to do for Barrie … and for Canada, which is to build this country, making it stronger. We’re standing up for ourselves and our future is in our hands,” he added.
With a freshly poured in-house craft beer, Carney held court behind the bar, outlining his plan if he becomes the party's new leader and prime minister.
“The Liberal Party of Barrie is going to get the round,” he shouted, resulting in cheers from the patrons.
With his glass held high, shouts of “victory” rang out, and “To Canada. Never, ever, ever part of America,” Carney shouted.
He also thanked the provincial candidates, who “did a fantastic job” in Thursday’s election.
The provincial Liberals were once again trounced by Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives, who won their third consecutive majority.
Carney said his mission will be to invest in the country’s economy — “build, baby, build” — and to defend its borders.
"One of the things that is on the line in this election is defending our country … We’ve got to secure our borders with the U.S. They think it’s about fentanyl going down there, but it’s about their guns coming up here,” Carney said.
“Our strategy with (U.S. President Donald) Trump, and I’ve dealt with Trump in the past, he respects strength … Like a lot of bullies, he respects strength," he added. "It’s also to show him that we are masters in our own home. We’re in charge."
Carney also listed industries in Canada that Americans rely on.
“We’re the biggest suppliers of semi-conductors. We supply almost all their semi-conductors. Everybody in the White House is a tech bro, except for Trump,” he quipped.
Carney then turned his attention to politics here at home.
“We’ve gotta have a positive agenda. Canadians want a positive agenda. (They are) tired of being divided,” he said.
Carney said there are ways to achieve that goal.
“We have to level with people,” he added. “And the reality is we are in a crisis … it’s a serious situation. This is not a time for someone who’s only ever jumped up and shouted slogans in the House of Commons.
“If it’s not a crisis, you wouldn’t be seeing me. I’m most useful in a crisis. I’m not that good in peacetime,” Carney said.
One patron shouted out that Carney should be like Winston Churchill.
“It’s 1938," Carney shot back. "And the question is, do you appease these guys? Never. You stand up. That’s what gets you through it, and we do it the Canadian way.
"And then, five, seven, maybe 10 years from now, when the Americans come back, we just pretend it didn’t happen, because we’re Canadian. Yeah, come up to Barrie, but we won’t forget."
Fellow Liberal leadership hopeful Chrystia Freeland also made a stop in Barrie on Feb. 15, but media was not permitted to attend due to what a press secretary referred to as a "miscommunication."