NDP MP Lori Idlout crossing floor to Liberals, PM Carney two seats shy of majority

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Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout will cross the floor to join the Liberals, inching Mark Carney’s Liberals closer to a majority government.

In a statement late Tuesday night, NDP interim leader Don Davies announced Idlout’s defection from the party, saying he was “very disappointed” she had decided to join the Liberal caucus.

“The position of the New Democrats on floor crossing is longstanding and clear,” Davies said. “We believe that when someone rejects the decision of their electors and wants to join another party, they should put that decision to their voters.”

The Liberals now have 170 seats in the House of Commons, leaving them just two seats shy of a majority government.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was honoured to welcome Idlout into the Liberal caucus, calling her voice an “invaluable contribution” on social media.

New Democrats are now down to six seats in the House. The move comes one day after voting began in the federal NDP leadership race, with former leader Jagmeet Singh’s successor to be announced at the end of the month.

Idlout endorsed Avi Lewis for party leadership at an event in Ottawa last week.

• IN PICTURES: Canadian politicians who crossed the floor or left their party

Idlout was sworn in as an MP in 2021 and re-elected in a tightly contested race last April, with Elections Canada confirming nearly a month after the federal election that she had won by 41 votes.

Liberal reaction

Several Liberal MPs have shared their reaction to the news of Idlout joining the Liberals.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser called Idlout a “tireless advocate for Nunavut.”

“Her focus has always been on delivering real outcomes for the people she represents,” he wrote.

Fraser, who represents the riding of Central Nova, added that he’s work alongside Idlout for years and knows the value she brings.

“We look forward to continuing that work together for Nunavut and for Canada,” he wrote.

Vancouver Granville MP Taleeb Noormohamed and London West MP Arielle Kayabaga also welcomed Idlout to the party.

Four MPs cross floor to join Liberals

Idlout is the fourth member of Parliament in as many months to cross the floor and join the Liberals. Chris d’Entremont, Michael Ma and Matt Jeneroux all left the Conservative caucus, less than a year after Carney and the Liberals won enough seats to form a minority government.

After Jeneroux, who represents the Alberta riding of Edmonton Riverbend, announced his decisions to switch parties, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized both Jeneroux and the Liberals.

“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.”

Three byelections in April

Last Sunday, Carney announced date for byelections in three federal ridings: Scarborough Southwest, Terrebonne and University—Rosedale.

If the Liberals win two of those byelections – which will be held April 13 – it would give them a majority of 172 seats.

The Toronto ridings, University—Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest, were vacated when two high profile MPs, Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair, stepped down earlier this year.

The voters in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne saw the result of their election overturned by the Supreme Court in February. The Liberal candidate, Tatiana Auguste, had won the riding by just one vote. Her opponent, Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné of the Bloc Québécois, demanded a byelection.

With files from CTV News’ Stephanie Ha, Spencer Van Dyk, Luca Caruso-Moro and Mike Le Couteur