OTTAWA — Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux said Thursday that he intends to resign from the House of Commons, as Mark Carney’s Liberals face confidence votes critical to the future of their minority government.
The Edmonton Riverbend MP, who was first elected in 2015, said in a written statement Thursday that he was “deeply grateful” to those who had reached out to him after rumours surfaced of his potential departure earlier this week.
“However, I ask that you please not attempt to contact my family during this time,” Jeneroux’s statement read.
“I ran in the last election hopeful that Canadians would put their faith in a team led by Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, offering a chance to change Canada’s perception in our own country and around the world. I wanted desperately to play a role in that vision.”
Jeneroux said that while the results of the election, which handed Carney’s Liberals a minority victory, were not what he had hoped, he nevertheless has “great admiration for the many remarkable individuals who were elected to the House of Commons — on both sides of the aisle — who continue to dedicate themselves to the betterment of our nation.
“Their work gives me faith that the momentum toward a stronger and more unified Canada endures,” his statement continued.
“With all of this in mind, earlier today I spoke with our Opposition Whip — a colleague and friend for whom I have the utmost respect — to inform him of my decision to resign as a member of Parliament. It was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one.”
Jeneroux — who previously served as a provincial MLA in Alberta — announced his pending departure from the Conservative caucus two days after his former colleague, Chris d’Entremont, also left the Official Opposition. D’Entremont, however, crossed the floor to the Liberals.
Jeneroux’s plan to resign comes one day after his office denied whispers on Parliament Hill that the Edmonton MP was also considering defecting to the Liberals, stating that he was “not crossing the floor” and would remain “a member of the Conservative caucus.”
Poilievre thanked Jeneroux on Thursday evening for the MP’s “decade of service to the people of Edmonton Riverbend.”
“On behalf of our Conservative team, I wish you and your family all the best following your decision to step down as a Member of Parliament next spring,” Poilievre wrote on X.
Jeneroux told the Star that he remains a Conservative MP and has not yet set a departure date.
