Mark Carney faces plagiarism allegations over Oxford thesis ahead of Canada fed elections

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing accusations that parts of his 1995 doctoral thesis at Oxford University were copied without proper citation. The allegations, reported by the National Post, come just weeks before Canadians head to the polls on 28 April, where Carney would be fighting to retain his PM seat.
An examination of Carney’s thesis, The Dynamic Advantage of Competition, by three academic experts reportedly uncovered at least 10 instances of potential plagiarism. The National Post claimed Carney copied passages from multiple sources, including economists Michael E Porter, Jeremy C Stein, and HS Shin, without proper attribution.
One of the examples flagged involves a nearly identical passage to Porter’s 1990 book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Carney wrote, “First, government intervention can impede international competition and artificially support domestic profits.” This was almost identical to the author’s original writing. Experts argued that even small wording changes without clear citation qualify as plagiarism.
Geoffrey Sigalet, a professor at the University of British Columbia who deals with academic misconduct cases, said, “He’s just directly repeating without quotations. That’s plagiarism.”

Campaign and academic response
Carney’s campaign pushed back against the claims, issuing a statement from his former Oxford supervisor, professor Margaret Meyer. She dismissed the accusations, saying, “I see no evidence of plagiarism in the thesis.”
“Mark’s work was thoroughly researched and approved by a faculty committee.” Meyer also argued that similar wording is common when referencing academic sources.
Oxford University defines plagiarism as “presenting work or ideas from another source as your own without full acknowledgment,” Fox News reported. Another professor, speaking anonymously to the National Post, suggested that Carney’s thesis fits this definition.
Isabella Orozco-Madison, a spokesperson for Carney’s campaign, labelled the allegations an “irresponsible mischaracterisation” of his academic work.
Political fallout
The timing of the allegations could prove problematic for Carney, who has been a prominent figure in global finance, previously leading the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. Critics have often accused him of being part of the global elite, and the plagiarism claims may fuel those criticisms.
Past plagiarism scandals have forced high-profile figures to step down or have their degrees revoked. Last year, Harvard University’s president, Claudine Gay, resigned amid similar accusations, though she denied any wrongdoing.