TORONTO (AP) — Another Canadian opposition Conservative lawmaker has defected to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s governing Liberal party.
Carney announced on social media on Wednesday that Alberta MPP Matt Jeneroux had crossed over to join the Liberal caucus. This is the third Conservative MP to join the Liberal Party in recent months.
This puts the Liberals closer to having a majority government and being able to pass any bill without opposition support.
Local elections for three seats in parliament will be held in the coming months, which could give the Liberals a majority government.
The defection is another blow for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost the last national election in April and even lost his parliamentary seat, but has since rejoined the lower house.
Pliyev won a review of the party leadership last month but continues to have problems controlling lawmakers.
Poliyev said in social media posts that Carney was trying to seize majority government through “dirty backroom dealings” and said Genux had betrayed the people of his district.
Jeneroux announced plans to resign in November. Just days ago, another Conservative MP left the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals. Poliyev said Yenu plans to resign in the spring.
Genu said in a statement on social media on Wednesday that he had changed his mind after speaking with his family and that the country now needed “stable leadership.”
“Conservative MPs crossing party lines for the third time in just a few months sends the message that Pliyev does not have full control of his caucus, a perception that could undermine his leadership,” said Daniel Berland, a political science professor at Montreal’s McGill University. “If the Liberals are somehow able to gain a majority quickly, we may not have a federal election before October 2029.”
Since succeeding Justin Trudeau as prime minister in 2025 and winning national elections, Carney has pushed the Liberal party toward the center.
Carney denounced the economic coercion of smaller countries by big powers at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The prime minister’s comments were widely praised and watched, upstaging US President Donald Trump at the gathering.
