No, Mark Carney is not related to Justin Trudeau by marriage

In March 2025, as Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in, a viral rumor claimed he was related to the man he was replacing — Justin Trudeau — through marriage. The rumor stated:

Margaret Trudeau is Justin Trudeau's mother. Margaret Trudeau remarried and had two children with Fred Kemper. Fred Kemper is the owner of a realty and brokerage firm. Fred Kemper's sister is Verlie Kemper. Verlie Kemper has a son named Mark Carney. Mark Carney just took over as Prime Minister from Justin Trudeau. Mark Carney is the Godfather of Chrystia Freeland's son.

For those of you who don't know
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The above rumor is false. Margaret Trudeau — Justin Trudeau's mother — married a second time to a real estate mogul named Fried Kemper — spelled with an "i." Carney's mother's maiden name was Verlie Kemper, but the real Fried Kemper had no sister with that name. Carney did have an uncle on his father's side named Fred. However, that uncle's last name was Carney. 

We reached out to Carney's office to determine whether or not the prime minister has any relation to Trudeau, and will update this story if we get more information.

Per news reports, Carney's parents were educators. According to Canadian news outlet the Edmonton Journal, his father, Robert "Bob" Carney, was a high school principal in Fort Smith, Canada. Carney's mother's name is Verlie, and she taught at the same school.

We found a 1957 article in The Province, a Vancouver-based newspaper, announcing Robert and Verlie's marriage. Per the article, Verlie's full maiden name was "Verlie Margaret Kemper." The best man at the wedding was a man named Fred Carney, Robert's brother. The marriage announcement also noted that Verlie Kemper had a sister named M.L. Munro. We were unable to find evidence of Verlie having any other siblings. 

Carney's father, Robert, died in 2009. His obituary on Legacy.com — a commercial provider of online memorials — mentions his son Mark along with his wife, Verlie, and his career as an educator. The obituary also references his brother Fred Carney, who served as the best man in the newspaper clipping we found above (emphasis ours):

Born November 3, 1933, died Nanaimo, B.C. December 9, 2009. Survived by his beloved wife Verlie; children Brenda Sully (Dave), Sean (Mimi), Mark (Diana), and Brian (Julie); grandchildren Christine, John, Tomas, Grace, Finn, Michael, Sophia, Amelia, Tess, and Cleo, one brother Joe (Tanya). Predeceased by his brother Fred.

This Fred Carney was not the so-called "Fred Kemper" the rumor claimed was Verlie's brother, but her brother-in-law.

We confirmed the names of Carney's siblings through a clip on his official Instagram account, which features his brother Brian saying, "You know we had a very tight-knit family. Mum, dad, sister Brenda, brothers Mark and Sean, and me."

According to The Irish Times, three of Carney's grandparents emigrated from Ireland to Canada, and Carney also holds British and Irish citizenship, which he is in the process of renouncing. Carney has said, "That Irish heritage is a big part of who I am."

By contrast, Fried Kemper, Margaret Trudeau's second husband, is of German origin, according to a Vanity Fair profile of Margaret. Canadian newspapers have also spelled his name as "Fred" on different occasions, which adds to the confusion around the claim. 

We looked closely at members of Trudeau's extended family. In 1984, years after her divorce from Justin's father, Pierre Trudeau, Margaret married Kemper, a real estate developer. They had two children, Kyle and Alicia Kemper. Kyle has since become a vocal critic of his half brother Justin, and a supporter of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In response to the rumors, Kyle wrote on his verified X account: "My grandfather John Kemper passed last August at the wonderful age of 103 - here is his obituary. There is no connection between him and Mark Carney so let's please put that ridiculous connection to rest. Love you Opi!"

Per the obituary, Fried Kemper's father, John, had two other children, Christine and Michael. If Verlie were truly Fried's sister, the obituary almost certainly would have mentioned her as well. The obituary described John's origins in Germany, as well as his real estate business:

John was born on February 20, 1921, in Reetz, Germany. After serving in the German army, he immigrated with his family to Canada where he built a thriving real estate company, "Kemper Realty", and became a respected Ottawa realtor and developer. He pursued his goals with grace, courtesy and an innate charm. 

Thus, no available evidence connects Fried Kemper, Trudeau's former stepfather, to Mark Carney through marriage.