A senior member of the Conservative opposition in Canada has accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of being “undemocratic” by pressuring Tory MPs to join the Liberals, after the party lost two caucus members this week.
Matt Jeneroux, a Conservative MP from Alberta, resigned from parliament on Thursday, saying he wants to spend more time with family. Rumours had circulated earlier that he might defect and join Carney’s Liberals.
Conservative house leader Andrew Scheer told reporters that Jeneroux quit in part due to “Liberal pressure tactics”, after he was asked about his party’s internal stability.
Another Conservative MP, Chris d’Entremont, crossed the floor to join the Liberals this week.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Scheer dismissed reports in Canadian media that Jeneroux was meeting with Carney’s office prior to his resignation.
He accused Carney of “trying to cobble together a majority through undemocratic means with backroom deals and pressure tactics”.
His remarks came as questions swirled about the state of the Conservative opposition and the future of its leader, Pierre Poilievre.
In an initial statement to media on Thursday night, Jeneroux said he ran in last April’s election with hopes that the Conservatives would form government.
“I wanted desperately to play a role in that vision,” he said.
He added that quitting “was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one.”
Poilievre thanked Jeneroux in a post on X, and said that his resignation will come into effect next Spring.
Jeneroux later released another statement clarifying that “there was no coerciion involved” in his decision to resign, seemingly addressing speculation that his departure was tied to rumours of him defecting.
“To reiterate, this long-standing decision reflects my desire to spend more time with my family,” he said.
Former Conservative MP d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals earlier on Tuesday, citing frustrations with his former party and what he said was Poilievre’s “negative” style of leadership. He said that others in his party “are in the same boat.”
He was welcomed by Carney, who also appealed for more allies.
“We’ll speak to anyone publicly or otherwise who can support us,” he said on Wednesday.
Opposition leader Poilievre is due for a leadership review in January. He has received criticisms that his combative style of politics contributed to the Conservatives’ election loss earlier this year.
He lost his own Ottawa seat, prompting a Conservative MP from a safe Alberta riding to step down and allow him to run there. Poilievre won that seat in August with more than 80% of the vote.
As the partisan drama plays out, the Carney government is working to pass its first budget through the House of Commons. The Liberals are two seats shy of a majority, meaning they need the support of other parties to pass their fiscal agenda.
Failure to pass the budget could risk a federal election. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the budget in mid-November.
By BBC News
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