Canadian PM accused of Oxford plagiarism as election nears — Reports

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing allegations that he plagiarized parts of his 1995 doctoral thesis at Oxford University.

As he campaigns for re-election ahead of Canada’s April 28 vote, a National Post report claims he copied sections of his thesis, The Dynamic Advantage of Competition, without proper attribution.

The National Post consulted three university experts who identified at least ten instances where Carney allegedly used content from four different sources without proper credit.

They found examples of direct quotes, paraphrased ideas, and slightly altered sentences.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

“He’s just directly repeating without quotations. That’s plagiarism,” said Geoffrey Sigalet, a professor at the University of British Columbia who handles academic misconduct cases.

Carney’s campaign responded by sharing a statement from his former Oxford supervisor, Margaret Meyer, who dismissed the accusations. “I see no evidence of plagiarism in the thesis,” she said.

“Mark’s work was thoroughly researched and approved by a faculty committee.”

Meyer also noted that “it is typical that overlapping language appears” when sources are frequently cited.

Oxford University defines plagiarism as “presenting work or ideas from another source as your own without full acknowledgment.”

Another professor, who spoke anonymously to the National Post, suggested Carney’s thesis meets this definition.

Carney’s campaign spokesperson, Isabella Orozco-Madison, rejected the allegations as an “irresponsible mischaracterization” of his work.

One of the examples highlighted by the National Post shows similarities between Carney’s thesis and Michael E. Porter’s 1990 book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations.

On page 206 of his dissertation, Carney wrote: “First, government intervention can impede international competition and artificially support domestic profits.” This closely mirrors Porter’s original wording.

Additionally, Carney reportedly copied sections from Jeremy C. Stein’s 1989 article in The Quarterly Journal of Economics and H.S. Shin’s 1994 article in The RAND Journal of Economics, with only minor wording modifications.

Sigalet emphasized that the issue is not isolated to a single part of the thesis. “It’s all over the dissertation, not just one part,” he said.

He also pointed out that “even when you reword something, you still need to cite the source.”

Oxford University considers plagiarism a serious offense, with possible penalties including expulsion.

Carney, who previously served as governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has built a high-profile career, holding key positions at Goldman Sachs and Brookfield Asset Management.

His elite background and international connections have drawn criticism in the past.

(Fox News)

ALSO READ ‘Not a hope in hell’: Irish politicians reject Conor McGregor’s presidential bid