OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney of trying to “wheel and deal” his way to a majority government after a second Tory MP joined the Liberal caucus.
“He’s trying to manipulate and engineer for himself a majority that Canadians denied him in democratic elections, a majority that would concentrate wealth and power in his hands at the expense of higher grocery and housing costs for Canadians,” Poilievre said in an interview on Friday.
“We need the will of the Canadian people to be respected.”
On Thursday evening, Ontario MP Michael Ma announced he was leaving the Conservative benches and joining the Liberals, putting them one seat shy of a majority government in the House of Commons.
Poilievre pointed out that Ma was still criticizing the government “until two days ago.”
“When somebody is elected as a Conservative to make life more affordable, to lock up criminals and keep our community safe, then that’s what they should be doing,” he said.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Friday there are other Tory MPs who are “extremely frustrated” with the political direction being taken by their party, and have shared their frustrations with Liberals.
“Look, they realize, like we do, that we’re at a turning point. They realize, like we do, that we’re in a trade war and that serious solutions are required. And they are required every day to go through this charade of obstruction,” he said at a high-speed rail announcement in Gatineau, Que.
MacKinnon said this obstruction is evident in the “soul-destroying” practice of Conservative MPs repeating the same question “40 times a day” during question period.
The Liberals announced Ma’s surprise departure from the Conservative caucus just one day after he attended the Conservative Christmas party and posed for a photo with Poilievre.
About an hour after the statement was released, Ma appeared at the Liberal Christmas party, where Carney introduced him as the party’s newest member to a standing ovation.
Jamie Ellerton, principal at Conaptus and a Conservative strategist, said while MacKinnon’s comments are politically motivated and are meant to set “a cat among the pigeons,” there is a very real sense of betrayal among Conservative MPs.
“I think what it also potentially does is it chips away a trust amongst caucus members. People are less certain that people are being straight-shooters when they’re talking, and it creates increasingly difficult caucus management dynamics,” Ellerton said.
Ma was first elected in April, winning the Greater Toronto Area riding of Markham—Unionville by about 1,900 votes.
He said little from the stage on Thursday, except to issue holiday greetings and wishes for “a great 2026 coming to all of you.”
In his statement, Ma indicated he made the decision after hearing from constituents and consulting with his family. He said he believes Carney offers “the steady, practical approach we need to deliver on the priorities I hear every day while door knocking in Markham—Unionville.”
The move puts the Liberals at 171 seats, one shy of a majority government, after Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont also defected from the Conservative ranks last month. The Conservatives dropped to 142 MPs, the Bloc Québécois have 22, the NDP has seven and the Green Party has one.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel said in an interview with The Canadian Press Friday there may be some in the Liberal caucus who are actively pushing for a majority.
“It would be easier for a (majority) government to achieve their plan, not having to think every single time, ‘Are we going to run into an election next month?’ Because this is the reality,” she said.
Michel added she did not personally know that Ma and d’Entremont were planning to join the Liberals.
MacKinnon said he wouldn’t speculate on whether the Liberals will court more MPs to cross the floor to secure a majority.
“You’ve seen two to date … Others exist, but as I said, it’s an incredibly personal and in many cases disruptive decision that a person has to make, after in some cases spending decades or years of active involvement in the Conservative party,” he said.
When asked if there will be more floor-crossings, Poilievre said “all the Conservative MPs I talk to are committed to staying focused on making life more affordable.”
“We need now more than ever to be united and do the thing that the voters sent us here to do,” he said.
Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux was rumoured to be considering following d’Entremont to the Liberal bench, but instead he announced plans to resign as MP in the new year. Jeneroux has not voted in the Commons since he made that announcement.
Several Conservative MPs issued similar statements criticizing Ma for crossing the floor after dancing at the Conservative Christmas party and taking part in the Secret Santa gift exchange.
“I gave him an Amazon Fire Stick just hours before he crossed the floor,” Ontario Conservative MP Kurt Holman posted on X Friday morning. “Now I want my gift back, just like the people of Markham—Unionville want their votes back!”
Poilievre faces a leadership review at the party’s convention in Calgary at the end of January. On Thursday afternoon, before Ma’s decision was made public, Poilievre said he was very confident he would survive that vote.
Ellerton said that he’s seen no evidence that anyone is mobilizing a campaign to oust Poilievre and he expects the Conservative leader will pass his review.
He added, however, that the loss of another Conservative MP could raise leadership questions in the minds of Canadians who don’t follow partisan politics.
“I think it reinforces that frame in terms of trust of leadership and character on that leadership question,” Ellerton said.
“Any time people see a headline that the leader of the opposition’s lost an MP to cross the floor and go and join the Liberals, it just raises questions in people’s mind as to what’s going on in Conservative ranks.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.
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