Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney insists that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will remain the leader of the Liberal Party in the next federal election, dispelling years of rumors that he is considering running himself to lead the party.

Carney - who now serves as Head of Transition Investing at Brookfield Asset Management, and as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance - told Vassy Kapelos, during an exclusive interview on CTV broadcast today Sunday, that he "deeply" cares about Canada.

But he did not explicitly say whether he intends to enter politics when asked if he ruled out running for the leadership of the Liberal Party.

Carney said: "It's easy not to rule out something that does not exist," "so we're in a hypothetical state."

But when asked about ongoing speculation regarding his political ambitions and the fact that he has never outright denied any rumors, Carney said he hopes to "have a few more years left."

He added: "But let's be clear about the near term." "We were talking about medium-term issues, but in the near term, the Prime Minister will be the leader of the Liberal Party in the next election. And I support him."

Trudeau has repeatedly insisted that he plans to lead the party in the next federal election, currently scheduled for October 2025, but speculation about whether he will step down before then remains ongoing.

This week, Liberal MP Ken McDonald sparked a wave of questions about whether the time has come to review the leadership, saying that Trudeau might have reached "the best before date." Later, he retracted his comments saying the call for a review was not the "intention."

Carney, a Liberal party cardholder, has long sparked speculation about whether he wants to hold the highest position in the party.

In a previous interview with Kapelos during a CTV Question Period broadcast in April of last year, Carney dodged the question, saying he believed the party was "on the right track," and that he "supports the Prime Minister."

But he also told The Globe and Mail last November that he had not ruled out running for party leadership.

In this week's interview with Kapelos, Carney said the focus should be on the most urgent issues facing Canadians, including the cost of living, housing, decarbonization, and competition in major industries.

Kapelos then asked Carney whether his ideas about the types of policies the federal government could pursue meant he might be interested in a cabinet position in Trudeau’s government.

He said: "Well, look, you don't just hand out cabinet posts, but you offer free advice, which I have been doing, this is my country, and I care deeply about it."

"I have had the honor of working in positions here both in the public service and as Governor (of the Bank of Canada), and this is a time of consequences."

He added: "These are big issues, we have touched on reshaping the global economy, where Canada is headed, and how we deliver our services to Canadians today and tomorrow. There are different ways to contribute to that, and I am always looking for opportunities to do so."

Carney also discussed the country's economic outlook following the Bank of Canada's decision this week to keep the key interest rate steady at five percent, where it has been since last June.

He and Kapelos also discussed immigration levels to Canada and their impact on the economy and housing affordability, the climate policy pursued by the federal government, specifically the carbon price.