Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, right, laughs before speaking to the business community during a luncheon in Toronto, December 11, 2012. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch)
OTTAWA - Wanted for questioning by reporters on both sides of the Atlantic for his potential political dalliances, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney appeared to call the bluff of journalists by wading into a pub here Wednesday night packed with reporters where he hoisted a Christmas pint with his would-be interlocutors.
A few dozen reporters from the parliamentary press gallery had convened after work hours at the Metropolitain Brasserie, a block away from the House of Commons, to mark the season with a holiday drink.
Many of them were surprised when Carney, in his banker's suit and tie, also showed up, ordered a pint of beer himself, and then spent 90 minutes or so mixing with the crowd which included journalists from Sun Media, Postmedia, The Toronto Star, CBC, CTV, The Globe and Mail and other news outlets.
Journalists in Canada and the U.K. had been asking Carney for interviews all week about reports that surfaced on the weekend -- and were confirmed Monday by the Bank of Canada -- that Carney and his family spent nearly a week of their summer vacation at the home of Liberal MP and finance critic Scott Brison.
