A Conservative MP has joined the Liberal party, pushing them one seat closer to a majority government. Michael Ma, a rookie lawmaker, cited the Liberals' "steady, practical approach" and their ability to deliver on key issues like affordability and the economy as reasons for his defection.
Ma's decision comes after attending a Conservative Christmas party and then joining the Liberals at an event the following evening, where he appeared on stage with Prime Minister Mark Carney. The move will likely sting the Conservatives, who have now lost three lawmakers in recent weeks.
The crossing is seen as another blow to the struggling Tories, who have faced discontent within their own ranks. Earlier this month, a prominent cabinet minister, Steven Guilbeault, resigned from his post after protesting the government's support for a controversial oil pipeline.
Guilbeault's departure and Ma's defection have sparked questions about the stability of the Conservative party under leader Pierre Poilievre. Poilievre has accused Ma of "choosing to endorse the very policies he was elected to oppose" and said he will have to answer to the constituents who elected him.
Government House Leader Stephen MacKinnon warned that there may be more opposition MPs tempted to defect to the Liberals, citing a sense of frustration among Conservative members with their party's leadership. The move has boosted the Liberal party, which now holds 171 seats in parliament – one short of a majority.
Ma's decision comes after attending a Conservative Christmas party and then joining the Liberals at an event the following evening, where he appeared on stage with Prime Minister Mark Carney. The move will likely sting the Conservatives, who have now lost three lawmakers in recent weeks.
The crossing is seen as another blow to the struggling Tories, who have faced discontent within their own ranks. Earlier this month, a prominent cabinet minister, Steven Guilbeault, resigned from his post after protesting the government's support for a controversial oil pipeline.
Guilbeault's departure and Ma's defection have sparked questions about the stability of the Conservative party under leader Pierre Poilievre. Poilievre has accused Ma of "choosing to endorse the very policies he was elected to oppose" and said he will have to answer to the constituents who elected him.
Government House Leader Stephen MacKinnon warned that there may be more opposition MPs tempted to defect to the Liberals, citing a sense of frustration among Conservative members with their party's leadership. The move has boosted the Liberal party, which now holds 171 seats in parliament – one short of a majority.
his reasons for leaving sound legit and it's cool that he got to meet carney like that anyway, this is gonna be interesting to see how poilievre handles it 
maybe he needs to step up his game or somethin' 'cause if more ppl start defecting it's not good for the cons... also guilbeault quitting was weird news, but i guess thats just politics and all that 
. First, it's Steven Guilbeault quitting and now Michael Ma jumping ship to the Liberals? It's like they're playing some sort of political game of musical chairs. And what's with Pierre Poilievre being all salty about it? Newsflash, dude: people change parties for a reason, especially if you're not getting your work done 
.
I mean, it's not like it's some kind of conspiracy theory – these people are making decisions that affect our country and we have no idea what's really going on. Not cool, guys 
.
like what was he thinking? 
i feel bad for him tho cuz poilievre is super harsh on ppl who leave his party ... i heard steven guilbeault was pretty stressed out about that pipeline thingy and now this ... maybe it's time for poilievre to calm down a bit 
i'm curious how ma is gonna handle the backlash from his constituents 
anyway, this just shows how unstable the conservative party is rn and it's all about the liberals gaining ground 
michael ma is like literally joining the lib party and it's getting SO intense 
and now they're all like "poilievre needs to answer 4 ma" 
meanwhile ma is just over here like "hey guys i'm good with the libs" 
idk what's going on but it seems like conservatives are having a major identity crisis 
Meanwhile, Poilievre's just digging his own grave with every snide comment about Ma. Like, dude, your party can't even keep its own members 
. I'm not buyin' the whole "steady, practical approach" thing, sounds like just another Liberal buzzword to me 
or else more MPs might follow suit 
️ who hosts a party and expects you to still be loyal to them? maybe it's time for the Conservatives to focus on being a stable gov't instead of playing politics 
... I mean, they're already looking pretty stable with 171 seats 
. It's making people wonder if Pierre Poilievre can keep it together as leader 
#LiberalsOnTheRise #ConservativeBlues #CanadianPolitics
I'm surprised he joined the Libs so fast! Didnt think they were gonna gain 3 more seats so quickly. The Tories have got some serious internal issues going on 
Guess Ma wanted stability over party loyalty 
! another one joins the lib party 
especially when it comes to affordability and economy stuff 
cons are losing seats left right and center 
poilievre needs to step up his game 
First, Steven Guilbeault leaves and then Michael Ma jumps ship to the Liberals? It's like the Tories are just losing all their cool kids at the same time... 
They're gonna need to deliver on those promises or else... 
so Pierre Poilievre thinks he can just call out Steven Guilbeault for resigning and then turn around and have his own guy defect to the libs like, nice burn lol, also what's up with these Conservative Christmas parties anyway? did they really think that would keep everyone from leaving? 
. I mean, can't blame a dude for wanting to make a change, but maybe he should've thought of that before voting for them in the first place