Bill C-278 would create a new federal vacancy trigger for MPs, turning a party switch inside the House of Commons into a seat-level event that could force voters back to the polls.
The private member’s bill, introduced by NDP parliamentary leader Don Davies, would amend the Parliament of Canada Act to make certain changes in political affiliation enough to empty a Commons seat. The bill does not simply criticize floor crossing as political betrayal, proposing that if an MP moves into another registered party, the seat becomes vacant.
Under the bill text, the rule would apply in two main cases. First, an MP elected as a member of one registered party would lose the seat after becoming a member of another registered party. Second, an MP elected without party affiliation would also trigger a vacancy after joining a registered party. The leader of the receiving party would be required to inform the Speaker, who would then notify the Chief Electoral Officer.
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That design leaves one escape hatch intact. An MP could leave a caucus and sit outside the party structure without immediately triggering the bill’s vacancy rule.
The NDP is pitching the measure as a voter-mandate bill. Davies’ statement says MPs should not be able to cross the floor without the approval of constituents, and the party argues that a member who wants to change parties should either win a by-election or sit as an independent until the next general election.
The bill arrives after floor crossing became part of the arithmetic around Prime Minister Mark Carney’s majority. Liberals reached 174 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons after winning three special elections. That result removed the government’s need for opposition support to pass legislation. The Liberals’ move to majority status followed months of momentum that included five opposition legislators defecting to the party.
The NDP has gone further, saying Carney became the first Canadian prime minister to form a majority government through floor crossing rather than through a general election.
The proposal also follows a legal campaign targeting MP Marilyn Gladu’s recent floor cross from the Conservatives to Liberals.
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