Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d’Entremont, who crossed the floor from the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Nov. 5, 2025.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The minority Liberal government is pursuing other Conservatives to cross the floor after Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont stunned Pierre Poilievre’s party by defecting to Mark Carney’s caucus.
Two Liberal sources say the governing party has been in discussions with a number of Conservative MPs to gauge their willingness to either cross or sit as independents before a vote is held on the federal budget.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the sources as they are not authorized to discuss internal party matters.
One of the Liberal sources said there are promising leads but no firm commitments from other Conservative MPs, whom they would not name.
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Mr. d’Entremont’s move on Tuesday evening means the Liberals now have 170 seats out of 343 in the House of Commons, two short of a majority. The government will still need opposition votes to pass their budget.
The Nova Scotia politician, an MP since 2019 and the only Conservative elected in his province during the April 28 election, appeared with Mr. Carney at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Mr. Carney welcomed the former Conservative to the government caucus and made a pitch for more opposition MPs to cross the floor.
“It is better for Canada to have a majority for this budget,” he said in French.
While declining to provide specifics on other MPs the Liberals may be recruiting, Mr. Carney said he speaks regularly with many MPs from both sides of the House.
“My view is I will talk with anyone,” he said.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Mr. d’Entremont said for months he had felt disconnected from Mr. Poilievre’s approach to federal politics, that he “wasn’t feeling I was aligned with the ideals of what the leader of the Opposition had been talking about.”
Citing this moment “in Canadian history,” he said he felt “it’s time to actually try to lead a country, to try to make it better and not try to knock it down – not to continue to be negative.”
Mr. d’Entremont told reporters he believes there are other MPs who are considering also crossing the floor.
Mr. d’Entremont is embraced by Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, as he arrives at a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Nov. 5, 2025.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Other Conservatives criticized the defection.
Ontario MP Jamil Jivani called Mr. d’Entremont an “idiot” while walking past reporters into caucus.
Scott Aitchison, who ran against Mr. Poilievre in the last leadership race, said he is behind his leader 100 per cent and so is the caucus.
“I think he’s got the right prescription for solving the problems that Canadians face,” he said of Mr. Poilievre. The MP added he thinks Mr. d’Entremont’s move was “a mistake.”
After April’s election, Mr. d’Entremont had publicly expressed disappointment in his party’s performance, saying he didn’t think the Conservatives moved fast enough to address Canadians’ fears about U.S. President Donald Trump and his protectionist policies.
Two Liberal MPs said talks with Mr. d’Entremont have picked up steam in the last two weeks. The Globe and Mail is not naming the sources as they are not authorized to discuss internal party matters.
They said many in their caucus have had casual conversations since the April election with a handful of their Conservative colleagues about joining their party.
Mr d’Entremont’s defection, meanwhile, has sown suspicion and confusion within the Conservative caucus about who else may be considering an exit, and renewed doubts about Mr. Poilievre’s future as leader.
Conservative MP Matt Strauss told reporters Wednesday he was disappointed, saying Mr. d’Entremont’s move was “pretty obviously careerist.”
Conservative MP Glen Motz said Mr. d’Entremont’s constituents voted for a Conservative MP, and he feels Mr. d’Entremont betrayed the trust and confidence they placed in him.
“He’s a friend. I’m disappointed in him personally, and it’s a choice that he made,” he told reporters.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he is not aware of other Conservatives looking to cross the floor.
“These are deeply personal decisions, and I’ll leave it for other people to share news if they have it,” Mr. Fraser said as he arrived at West Block.
Asked if Mr. D’Entremont should run in a by-election, Mr. Fraser said, “We’re happy to have Chris here. His community elected him not just based on a party brand but based on a stellar reputation he’s built up over the course of his career. He’s been elected to represent the community. He’s going to do that.”
With reports from Emily Haws and Ian Bailey