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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told The Globe in a year-end interview that he believes Canadians will react badly if another MP crosses the floor to the Liberals.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to circumvent the democratic will of Canadians by using floor-crossers to get a majority government, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a year-end interview.
Mr. Poilievre told The Globe and Mail that Canadians will react badly if another MP joins the Liberals and gives them a majority, because that’s not what they voted for.
The April election delivered the Liberals 169 seats, another minority mandate. But Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor from the Tories in November and Ontario MP Michael Ma joined him last week.
That brings the Liberals to within one seat of a majority.
House Leader says there are other frustrated Conservative MPs
The Globe asked Mr. Poilievre whether he’d consider a minority government turned into a majority thanks to floor-crossers as a legitimate government.
He answered: “I don’t think so, not a legitimate majority government.”
“The reason he wants to get a costly majority through floor-crossing is so that he can implement a very unpopular and expensive agenda that is the opposite of what Canadians voted for without any accountability for the next three years,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“If Canadians wanted to give him the power to form that costly government without accountability, they would have voted for that. They didn’t.”
In a statement announcing his decision to join Mr. Carney’s caucus, Mr. Ma said the Prime Minister’s values aligned with his own.
“I entered public service to help people – to focus on solutions, not division,” he said.
While the practice of MPs switching parties is controversial, there is no rule or law that prevents them from doing so.
More than 300 MPs have crossed the floor while in office since Confederation
But some critics of the moves by Mr. Ma and Mr. d’Entremont have argued they should have to step down and run in a by-election.
When asked whether he thought floor-crossers should be forced to run for the seat under their new party banner, Mr. Poilievre didn’t answer directly.
“What I would say is this: They have gone against the affordability and public safety agenda that their constituents voted for,” he said.
“Their constituents voted for the Conservative plan to make life affordable and safe, and now those MPs have gone to back Carney’s agenda of higher deficits, inflation, cost of living, and crime and so that is turning their back on what they stood for and what their people voted for. I’ll leave it at that.”
With a minority, Mr. Carney depends on support from other parties’ MPs to pass legislation. His government survived a confidence vote on the budget thanks to NDP MPs.
The number of votes needed to pass bills could shift around in the coming months. Some Liberal MPs are expected to step down for diplomatic appointments, leaving spots open until they can be filled with by-elections.
Liberals pursue Conservative MPs after Chris d’Entremont joins Carney’s caucus
Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux has said he’s leaving office, a decision announced after speculation he was also planning to cross the floor. It’s not clear when he’ll resign.
Mr. Carney and others in his cabinet have spoken about trying to bring over others; Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson told reporters recently there has been interest.
When Mr. Poilievre was asked whether he can stay on as leader if another of his MPs breaks, he said he would just keep doing his job.
Mr. Poilievre said the people he’s fighting for, like those who can’t afford groceries, aren’t giving up their own battles.
“So I’m not going to give up, and it will be the grassroots, hard-working, common people in this country who form our Conservative party that will decide,” he said.
Mr. Poilievre faces a mandatory leadership review at his party’s January convention.
