Last year, a senior federal official met with the head of Brookfield, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s former company, to discuss Canada’s strategy for artificial intelligence.

In 2024, Francis Bilodeau, the Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, met with Brookfield's Frank McKenna and Sam Pollock to discuss digital infrastructure challenges and potential government support for Canada's industrial AI, as reported by the Investigative Journalism Foundation.

It is unclear whether discussions about AI also took place during Pollock's meeting with Prime Minister Carney on May 6.

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BREAKING: NorthRiver Midstream lobbied Mark Carney on April 30, and he met with Brookfield Infrastructure CEO Sam Pollock on May 6, despite both interactions conflicting with his ethics screen.https://t.co/pm4lUJQrer

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) July 14, 2025

A briefing note on the matter expressed concern that Canada lags in AI infrastructure, warning that Canadian AI companies may relocate if they face domestic growth barriers. It noted that Brookfield, a major Canadian asset manager, invested in data centers to leverage AI growth, prompting a meeting between Bilodeau, McKenna, and Pollock.

Innovation Canada clarified the meeting occurred in April 2024, prior to Carney's departure from his role as former chair of Brookfield Asset Management. He left his chairmanship on January 16 to secure the Liberal Party leadership and subsequently win a general election.

Liberal MPs have sparred with the Official Opposition for months over questions about Carney’s assets and conflicts of interest, noting his former chairmanship.

Justin Simard, a spokesperson for the federal government, confirmed that the meeting took place to “discuss AI computer infrastructure.” However, Simard stated that “no specific partnership between the Government of Canada and Brookfield was discussed.”

Scheer "Well, right before becoming Prime Minister, (Carney) was chair of Brookfield and he advocated for a ban on gas powered cars."

"Brookfield is heavily invested in the EV supply chain."

"Yet this Prime Minister refuses to reveal his financial interests or self admitted… pic.twitter.com/WuNNkOxEzP

— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) June 18, 2025

Carney, since taking office, has prioritized Canada's AI policy, appointing Evan Solomon as the first federal minister for the portfolio and committing to increased AI adoption across public and private sectors.

Solomon previously worked for The Eurasia Group & GZERO, where Diana Carney, the prime minister’s wife, currently works.

Notably, Carney's election pledges on AI conveniently align with major Brookfield investments, including Compass Data Centers and Data4, all of which financially benefit him.

Brookfield Asset Management earlier expressed interest in continuing to finance AI infrastructure initiatives.

EXCLUSIVE: I went to Bermuda to find the money Mark Carney hid from the CRA

Until a few weeks ago, Mark Carney was the chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, a massive corporation that manages more than a trillion dollars. It truly spans the globe — just like Carney himself,… pic.twitter.com/a0h3PpKgjb

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 9, 2025

Recent ethics disclosures show Carney must recuse himself from decisions involving approximately 100 companies due to conflicts of interest. That includes a record 80 corporate conflicts from his prior role with Brookfield, according to Blacklock’s.

Prime Minister Carney claimed a screen would “prevent … preferential treatment” to those companies in his official duties, as staff are tasked with ensuring he isn’t aware of or involved in official matters or decisions involving said companies.

On June 18, Christiane Fox, deputy Privy Council clerk, testified to the Commons transport committee that her employees were attempting to “manage all the conflicts” that involved the Prime Minister’s former business associates.

However, his ethics screens appear ineffective, according to the Conservative Party, with revelations that NorthRiver Midstream lobbied Carney on April 30, and he met with Brookfield Infrastructure CEO Sam Pollack on May 6, in spite of the supposed "screen." 

Poilievre rips into Mark Carney for making "false statements" about his purported conflicts of interest and finances.

The Conservative leader calls for Carney to explain himself and place his funds into a truly blind trust. pic.twitter.com/c86OvArWN0

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 14, 2025

Carney claimed compliance with rules, transferring stock to a blind trust, but Conservatives question why he concealed these conflicts until post-election.

“Canada’s Prime Minister cannot be trusted to make decisions on … AI when his decisions, or those of his Ministers and civil servants, could boost his own future payouts from Brookfield,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters July 14.

Carney holds nearly $10 million in unexercised Brookfield Asset Management stock options as of December 31.

“Now he will either be in a position to profit from big decisions — or be forced to sit out those decisions altogether,” Poilievre said. “Either way, Canadians will pay the price.”

Carney did not disclose prior investments until becoming Prime Minister on March 14, as is required by law. Opposition MPs have proposed amendments to the Conflict of Interest Act to require all party leadership candidates to be compelled to disclose their assets.