NDP MP Lori Idlout crosses floor to Liberals – National
Her departure follows the recent defection of three Conservative MPs in recent months.
“We’re very disappointed,” Davies said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
“The position of the New Democrats on floor crossing is long-standing and clear. We believe that when someone rejects the decision of their electors and wants to join another party, they should put that decision to their voters,” Davies said.
Idlout and Carney have yet to confirm she is joining the Liberals. The move leaves the NDP with six seats in the House of Commons.
B.C. Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed welcomed Idlout to the Liberal fold in a post on X Tuesday night and said he looks forward to working with her.
Idlout is the fourth MP to join the party from the opposition benches since October, following former Conservatives Chris D’Entremont, Michael Ma and Matt Jeneroux.
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This latest floor crossing could help give the Carney government a majority, as the Liberals now need to win two of three April 13 byelections to have a narrow majority.
In this scenario, the government would still likely need at least one opposition MP to help pass legislation as Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, a Quebec Liberal, does not vote unless there is a tie.
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Idlout has represented Nunavut in the House of Commons since 2021, and just appeared at an Avi Lewis NDP leadership campaign event in Ottawa last Thursday.
The most recent floor crossing was when ex-Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux joined the Liberals in February. Carney said he was honoured to welcome him as the party’s newest member.
In a letter posted to social media, Jeneroux said he came to his decision after “several conversations around the dinner table” with his family since he announced his resignation in November as the MP for Edmonton Riverbend.
Jeneroux later told reporters that he could no longer “sit on the sidelines” as Carney pursues an “ambitious agenda” at home and abroad.
“Quite honestly, it was the speech in Davos where (he) took everything head-on, and I think for me that’s where a lot of the world changed,” he said.
“I think it opened a lot eyes for Canadians, Albertans, Edmontonians, just how serious this national unity crisis truly is.”
Carney appointed Jeneroux as “a special advisor on economic and security partnerships” and said he would be relying on his international affairs experience, including as co-founder of the Canada-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Poilievre responded by saying Jeneroux had “betrayed” his constituents and accusing Carney of “trying to seize a costly Liberal majority government that Canadians voted against in the last election through dirty backroom deals.”
Canadians want floor-crossing MPs to face ‘immediate’ byelections
A recent Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found that a majority of Canadians say members of Parliament should not be allowed to cross the floor to another party and should face an “immediate” byelection if they do so, a new poll suggests.
The poll found 62 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe MPs should not be allowed to switch parties after an election, while nearly 70 per cent said crossing the floor should trigger an immediate byelection in the MP’s district.
It also found that Canadians’ displeasure with floor-crossing MPs has not hurt the overall approval for Prime Minister Mark Carney or his Liberal government.
In fact, those approval numbers have gone up since last year, with over one-third of Canadians saying they are even more supportive of Carney after three MPs left the Conservatives to join the Liberals in recent months.
–with files from the Canadian Press and Sean Boynton
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