Carney Says MP d’Entremont Joining Liberals Is ‘Exceptionally Valuable’

Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed former Tory MP Chris d’Entremont in joining the Liberal caucus at an event they both attended in Ottawa.

“Chris’s decision to join the government caucus at this crucial moment for our country is exceptionally valuable, important,” Carney said during a Nov. 5 press conference related to his recently tabled budget.

D’Entremont, a Nova Scotia MP first elected in 2019, announced on Nov. 4 he was resigning from the Conservative caucus.

The move has brought the minority Liberals within two seats of a majority government, now having 170 MPs in the House of Commons.

This addition to the Liberal caucus could help them pass their budget tabled on Nov. 4, which would avoid an early election. The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois have signalled their opposition to the budget, while the NDP said it will take time to review it.

The budget predicts a $78.3 billion deficit this fiscal year, with cuts to some programs along with major expenditures in others in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Carney said he spoke directly with d’Entremont in the previous days before he made his decision.

“I had discussion in advance of his decision as was appropriate,” he said. “He wanted to test what we were going to do in the budget and the scope of what’s required, and to see that there was the alignment. And you can see that there is that alignment.”

Carney and d’Entremont both told reporters there was no offer of a ministerial post to cross the floor.

D’Entremont also said he wasn’t offered anything tangible and that he made this choice with his riding in mind.

“Acadie-Annapolis is a big rural riding with lots of fishery and lots of agriculture and a military base,” he said. “I want to make sure that I’m doing the right thing for them to make sure that they have the housing and the infrastructures that they need.”

D’Entremont said he thinks the Liberals’ budget is what Canada and his riding need, and that he didn’t see how he could help solve issues important to the communities he represents by sitting with the Opposition.

D’Entremont also said the leadership style in the Conservative Party also played a part.

“I didn’t find I was represented there,” he said, mentioning his “ideals of an Easterner, of a Red Tory,” and his desire to find solutions instead of opposing “everything that’s happening.”

Conservatives have said that d’Entremont chose to defect because he didn’t get elected to the position of deputy Speaker of the House, a role he had in the previous Parliament. Tory MP Tom Kmiec is now serving in that role.

“Conservatives are disappointed he let his own personal grievances of not getting elected Deputy Speaker get in the way of his promises, and that he agrees with Liberals that Canadians will have to sacrifice more for their failures,” Chief Opposition Whip Chris Warkentin said in a statement.

Warkentin said his party can’t see how d’Entremont can support the Liberal’s budget after being re-elected on the Tory platform in April of addressing affordability issues with “smaller deficits and a resilient economy.”

D’Entremont was asked by reporters whether not being elected deputy Speaker played a role in his decision to cross the floor.

“I think it was an awkward time. I was hopeful, as many people would be hopeful, but I did move on,” he said, adding his decision came down to “just looking at leadership styles, and whether we’re doing the right thing for Canada or we’re doing the right thing for ourselves.”

Meanwhile, Carney did not confirm nor deny whether he’s having discussions with other opposition MPs on crossing the floor. “I will talk to anyone. Part of our job is to talk to each other,” he responded when asked by reporters.

He said it would be better for Canada if Liberals can get a majority before Christmas.

D’Entremont said he thinks there are other Tory MPs who are mulling defecting but said he will not speak for them.

One Conservative MP released a video on Nov. 5 in a bid to address rumours she would potentially cross the floor.

“I will tell you this this morning: I reaffirm my affiliation to the Conservative Party of Canada and I have no intention to cross the House floor,” Quebec MP Dominique Vien said in a message on social media.