Up to 10 Members of Parliament are reportedly in discussions with Liberal delegates from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office about potential floor-crossings, a move that could solidify the party’s grip on power in the House of Commons. Sources indicate these talks target both Conservative and NDP members, signaling a broader strategy to reshape the political landscape ahead of critical byelections.
The Liberals have already secured four floor-crossers in recent months, bringing their seat count to 170—just two shy of a majority in the 343-seat chamber. The latest defection came from Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, who left the NDP to join the government caucus on March 10. Idlout, the first New Democrat to cross, cited the need for a “strong and ambitious government” to address sovereignty threats and well-being in the North as her rationale for the switch.
“I have been hearing clearly from Nunavummiut that this is a crucial moment for Nunavut and for all of Canada,” Idlout said in a statement. “The success of that work needs all of our voices.”
Before Idlout, three former Conservative MPs—Chris D’Entremont, Michael Ma, and Matt Jeneroux—also joined the Liberals, with Jeneroux’s defection in February 2026 marking a high-profile shift. Jeneroux pointed to Carney’s Davos speech as a turning point, highlighting the Prime Minister’s focus on national unity as a key motivator. Carney later named him a special advisor on economic and security partnerships, leveraging his international affairs experience.
With three byelections scheduled for April 13, 2026, the Liberals are positioned to potentially clinch a majority even without additional defections. Two Toronto-area ridings, vacated by former cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair, are considered safe seats for the party. The third contest in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne, however, remains a tight race after a one-vote Liberal win last spring was annulled by the Supreme Court over an Elections Canada error.
Interim NDP leader Don Davies expressed disappointment over Idlout’s departure, reiterating the party’s stance that floor-crossers should face their voters in byelections. The NDP caucus now stands at just six members, underscoring the impact of such shifts.
Even at 172 seats, a majority would still hinge on the vote of Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, a Quebec Liberal who traditionally only casts a deciding vote in ties. This dynamic could force the government to rely on opposition support for contentious legislation unless more MPs cross over.
The potential addition of up to 10 more opposition members would not only secure a working majority but also reshape confidence votes and legislative agendas. With the Terrebonne byelection pitting Liberal Tatiana Auguste against Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné in a rematch, the outcome on April 13 could tip the balance further in Carney’s favor.
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31 Responses
Carney is giving all this money away are kids are paying the price for it .Overcrowded schools .He is flying all over the world Mr.Greenie.Hard working people here can’t even afford to put fuel in there vehicles to go on a holiday or to have a nice meal the price of groceries but he is enjoying thousand dollar bottles of wine .Oh and don’t forget the out ragious meal bills on his travels that could have went to Education. I hope the people that voted for those floor crossers don’t vote for them. So apparently there votes didn’t matter to that riding thrown away. They didn’t vote for CARNEY
With such an intelligent take, you must have a solid understanding, and be full of well thought out solutions. Please enlighten us with your plan.
Pierre Poliverre
You have to be kidding or clueless.
PP
Is the worst possible choice
Usually, people that are conservative do not like people who have never had a real job, never accomplished anything, and have lived off the government their entire lives. They usually cheer the guy that knows business, and has good connections.
Your province funds your schools collected through local property tax and provincial tax. This was brought in to the constituen in 1867. Thus allowing each province it’s own over sight of the funds collected and allocated. In small specific cases the federal government grants funding for programs like indigenous services and support, reserves, and military. How your local schools are funded and ran is entirely provincial. The Federal government is giving 1 billion over the next 5 years to the National School Food program . Keeping in mind the provinces faught for and won the right to over see their own handling of their schools from funding to curriculum. So No the Federal government is not responsible for that . That you will need to take up with your Provincial government. As for gas the whole world is feeling that one and no one has the ability to do anything about it. Hopefully the war will end soon.
Schools are paid for by the provinces which are underfunding them instead of overfunding which would be a nice change
We live in a federation. It is incumbent upon you as a citizen to know which level of government is responsible for what.
Le choix de la députée du Nunavut, Lori Idlout, qui a quitté le NPD pour rejoindre le caucus du gouvernement le 10 mars, rappelle à quel point les enjeux du Nord nécessitent une voix forte au sein du gouvernement. Quand des élus disent clairement que leurs communautés veulent des résultats, pas des querelles partisanes, ça envoie un message puissant
Anybody that thinks this is a good thing for Canada should take a look at the downward spiral our country has taken since 2015. Now that Mark Carney ,Trudeaus economic advisor is leading the country the outlook is much worse with his net zero plan , climate agenda, mass immigration ,no budget and no plan. Canada has gone from 600 billion in debt in 2015 to now 2.5 trillion in debt.
By your “facts” Carney has already saved us over a trillion dollars! The debt from debt.ca is only 1.2 trillion.
I’m completely shocked by this article. I thought it was Ai generated nonsense. But if true it’s fantastic news for my country. The divisiveness of Buckle Belt Pete is his choice to seek power over the well being of Canadians. He’s an extension of the right wing ideology that minimizes the value of people in favour of the personal gain of the rich, those who choose their increased wealth over the advancement of the entire society. Does that sound like someone else who is tearing apart his own country right now?
Yeah the Liberals are so great. They like to give away money to other countries and do nothing for Canadians. Pledging 120 million for Indian students to come to school in Canada but doing nothing for our kids is stupid beyond belief. Then don’t forget the billions he’s sending to other countries billions we don’t have.
The ‘$120M’ is a total myth. $100 million of that is being paid by the University of Toronto, not the government. It’s their own revenue from high international tuition used to fund research that keeps them top-ranked. It’s a business move, not a tax handout.
As for ‘our kids,’ we spend $25 Billion every year on the Canada Child Benefit alone. For every $1 sent abroad for stability, we spend over $60 right here. We spend 98% of the budget at home.
If a few more bonourable republicans did what Canadian Federal floor crossers did we would have the bombastic bafoon idiot in the Whitehouse under some conrol.
Why do people that vote allow traitors to cross the floor ?
They did not vote for that.
Why did Carney give 1 billion dollars away for the exchange of oil and not for our medical system,
[Putting oil over our health and medical system ]
As he also gave away 2 billion dollars to Africa and for their medical system while not fixing our medical system ,
Giving to Africa and their government’s gets paid exorbitant amounts when it could be using it for their medical system and Carney is ruining our medical system, silently destroying and murdering us !
Floor crossing has been part of the Westminster Parliamentary system for centuries. Both Liberals and Conservatives have benefited from this in the past.
Very true. But as we all know PP likes to whine
Just because it was done in the past doesn’t make it right. Citizens vote the party of their choice and if the representative (candidate) chooses to cross than they should resign and campaign for their choice again in the next election. It happens enough that it’s almost a conspiracy and voters aren’t getting what they want.
And it speaks more to the disenchantment with the leader of the party that is being left than to the party that is receiving the gain.
That’s how our system has been working for as long as we have been Canada. No traitors are involved. You seem angry and sort of MAGA. Give us a break.
You seem like an ignorant boomer who only watches CBC and believes the narrative you are told to.
You sound like a pedo conservative bootlicker.
Canadians voted . The current gov is buying people to get what they want , thats “MAGA”……The country cast a vote now Carney is manipulating the system to benefit his agenda. Yes they are traitors.
If you have evidence of a crime involving paying off MP’s to cross the floor please report it to the RCMP. Accusing people of crimes to defame them is libel.
Floor crossing happens all the time. Maybe Cons should manipulate the system with a leader who attracts people rather than repels them.
Wow. David Chura, chill out before you end up in the ‘stress’ hospital.
Seems the conservatives were quite happy about it when Scheer was party leader. Now you don’t like it?
Well, it’s in our constitution, so it’ll take constitutional reform. I’m sure you’re important enough that the entire country will change it just for you.
Who cares….this just shows how more and more Canadians are rejecting the horrid, bigoted, Un-Canadian stance of the Conservative Party….a party which should be completely eliminated from Canadian politics altogether. Just a couple of MPs crossing the floor is crazy, but ten MORE possibly crossing is historic and will absolutely solidity Canada’s political safety for the foreseen future.
The fed does not run our Healthcare. You need to look at your provincial government.
Crossing the floor is legal because you vote for an MP, not a party. I didn’t hear anyone screaming ‘traitor’ when Liberals like David Emerson or Wajid Khan crossed the floor to join the Conservatives—it only seems to be a problem for you when your side loses a seat.
As for the rest, it’s pure fiction. Mark Carney is a private citizen; he holds no elected office and has zero authority to spend a single cent of tax money. He literally doesn’t have the power to ‘give away’ anything. If you’re mad about the medical system, talk to your Premier. The Feds send over $50 Billion a year to the provinces for healthcare, but the provinces are the ones actually running the hospitals and deciding where that money goes. Get the facts right before you start claiming treason.