A Conservative member of parliament from Alberta has defected to the Liberal Party bringing Prime Minister Mark Carney closer to a majority in the House of Commons.
In a post on social media, Carney announced that Matt Jeneroux, who represents a constituency in Edmonton, has joined the Liberal caucus – the third Conservative to do so in recent months.
With the addition of Jeneroux, the Liberals now have 169 seats – just three shy of the required 172 for majority.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre accused the prime minister of trying to seize a majority “through dirty backroom deals”.
Two other Conservative MPs, Chris d’Entremont of Nova Scotia and Michael Ma of Ontario, had also crossed the floor late last year to join Carney’s government.
There are currently three vacant seats in Canada’s parliament: two Toronto-area seats, following the resignations of Liberal MPs Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair, and one Montreal-area seat that was closely contested by one vote, forcing a pending by-election.
Jeneroux had been representing the Conservatives in Edmonton since 2015 and was elected to the House of Commons in three consecutive elections, making his defection a noteworthy loss for the opposition party.
On Wednesday, he said he made the decision to cross the floor “after further reflection” with his family over the holidays, and “conversations with colleagues and constituents”.
The Alberta MP had previously announced his intention to resign from the Conservative caucus in November, saying that he wanted to spend more time with family. But then he did not mention defecting to the Liberals.
In a statement at the time, he said he ran in the 2025 federal election with hopes the Conservatives would form government, and that he “wanted desperately to play a role in that vision”.
Prime Minister Carney hailed Jeneroux as a “strong voice in international engagement and parliamentary diplomacy” and said he will service as a “new special advisor on economic and security partnerships”.
“Building a stronger, more resilient, and more independent country will require ambition, collaboration, and occasionally, sacrifice,” Carney wrote. “I am grateful to Matt and his family that he will continue his service as a strong voice for Edmonton Riverbend in Parliament.”
The latest defection comes a few weeks after the Conservative party voted overwhelmingly to keep Poilievre on as leader, despite his personal unpopularity in the polls.
Both Ma and d’Entremont had cited Poilievre’s leadership as a reason why they chose to leave the party. Late last year, d’Entremont claimed that others in his party “are in the same boat”.
In a post on social media on Wednesday, Poilievre said Conservatives would “continue our fight for a Canada that’s affordable, safe, and self-reliant”.
“Mark Carney is trying to seize a costly Liberal majority government that Canadians voted against in the last election through dirty backroom deals,” he wrote. “Matt Jeneroux has betrayed the people of Edmonton Riverbend who voted for affordable food and homes, safe streets, and a strong resource sector.”
By BBC News
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