Idlout’s floor-crossing gets Carney closer to majority as byelections loom

OTTAWA — Nunavut MP Lori Idlout’s decision to cross the floor from the NDP to the Liberals puts Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government at 170 seats — two short of a majority — with three byelections still to come on April 13.

Idlout said in a media statement that she decided to cross the floor after receiving feedback from constituents and her family.

“I have been hearing clearly from Nunavummiut that this is a crucial moment for Nunavut and for all of Canada,” Idlout said in her statement, issued by the Liberal party.

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“With new threats against our sovereignty and pressures on the well-being of people throughout the North, we need a strong and ambitious government that makes decisions with Nunavut — not only about Nunavut. The success of that work needs all of our voices.”

In a Wednesday statement welcoming Idlout, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the newest Liberal MP has “devoted her life to fighting for Nunavut’s potential and the immediate needs of its people.”

“Lori’s voice and leadership will make an invaluable contribution to this work as part of Canada’s new government,” he said.

Interim NDP leader Don Davies broke the news of Idlout’s defection Tuesday night. He said the now six-member caucus is “very disappointed” by her decision.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a social media post Wednesday that Carney is “using back room deals to seize a costly majority that voters rejected.”

Two Toronto-area byelections were triggered by the resignations of former cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair. Both of those ridings are seen as safe seats for the Liberals.

A third byelection has been ordered for the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne after the Liberals’ one-vote win there was annulled by the Supreme Court last month.

Winning just two out three would give the Liberals a 172-seat majority, but the government still would likely rely on opposition support to pass legislation.

Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, a Quebec Liberal, only votes in the event of a tie. The Speaker is expected to maintain the status quo and act as an impartial figure.

That means the Speaker traditionally does not vote to pass new legislation but sides with the government on confidence votes.

Liberal MP Karina Gould said on her way into Wednesday morning’s Liberal caucus meeting that it’s “extraordinary” to see so many floor-crossers during a session of Parliament.

She said it indicates the Liberals are a “big tent” party that draws support from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum.

Idlout is the fourth MP to cross the floor to the Liberals since last spring’s election, and the first to join from the NDP. Three other MPs — Chris D’Entremont, Michael Ma and Matt Jeneroux — left the Conservative caucus to join the Liberal bench.

D’Entremont — who was the first to cross from the Conservatives to join the Carney government in November — said he reached out to Idlout on Tuesday night to offer his support on handling the “kickback” and the “uncomfortable conversations” that come with crossing the floor.

He said he’s sure it wasn’t an easy decision for Idlout to make, but it puts the federal government in a stronger position.

“That puts us in a place where we can govern Canada. We can actually do the things that we talked about without, I would say, the pushback that we continually get from one particular opposition party,” he said.

Gould said that while voters technically cast their ballots for individuals, not parties, it’s incumbent on floor-crossers to explain their decision to constituents.

— with files from The Canadian Press’s Alessia Passafiume and Kyle Duggan