Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux's resignation follows MP Chris d’Entremont's decision to cross the floor to the Liberals.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Edmonton Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux has announced he’s resigning, another surprising development during a high-stakes week for the minority Liberal Parliament.
Mr. Jeneroux told The Globe and Mail that he is not crossing the floor to the Liberals but provided no specific details on what led to his decision to leave.
Earlier this week, Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont left the Conservatives to join the government, attributing his choice partly to a disagreement with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s style.
His move preceded a vote on the government’s first budget, and put the Liberals one step closer to the majority vote needed to get it passed. They currently have 170 seats out of 343.
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Opposition Whip Chris Warkentin told The Globe, however, that Mr. Jeneroux will remain a member of the Conservative caucus until next year.
Mr. Warkentin said he also anticipates Mr. Jeneroux will vote with the Conservatives and against the Liberals’ budget when it comes up for a final vote later this month.
After Mr. d’Entremont’s defection, the Liberals let it be known that he wasn’t the only one they were courting. Mr. Jeneroux had been on a list of names circulating around Ottawa of others who might cross. Late Thursday night, Mr. Jeneroux put out a statement addressing widespread speculation that he had been under political pressure because of his name being on that list.
“I want to be clear that there was no coercion involved in my decision to resign,” he said.
Mr. Warkentin said his departure had been in the works since the April general election.
“He had hoped we’d be in government,” Mr. Warkentin said.
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In an earlier statement announcing his resignation, Mr. Jeneroux said he would like to have the opportunity to address the House of Commons one final time, but for now his focus will be on his family.
“It was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one.”
In a post on social media, Mr. Poilievre thanked him for his service.
“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,” he wrote.
Mr. Jeneroux was first elected in 2015 in the riding of Edmonton-Riverbend, joining the caucus in the same election that the Conservative government lost power to the Liberals.
He won his seat in April with just over 50 per cent of the vote – up from the 2021 election.
He said in his statement that he ran in the past campaign hopeful that Canadians would put their faith in Mr. Poilievre to “change Canada’s perception in our own country and around the world.”
“Although the outcome was not what I anticipated, I have 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.”
Though Mr. Poilievre issued a statement of support for Mr. Jeneroux, he has not spoken about Mr. d’Entremont’s decision to cross the floor.
Other MPs were highly critical of the move, calling Mr. d’Entremont names and suggesting he was only it for himself.
But they were far more generous toward Mr. Jeneroux.
Fellow Alberta Conservative MP Michael Cooper called his departure a loss for caucus.
“He’s a good guy. He was a good member of Parliament. He served Edmonton and Alberta well, he was a valued member of our team, and he will be missed.”
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Though the Conservatives would likely recapture his Edmonton riding in a by-election, Mr. Jeneroux’s departure nevertheless comes at a sensitive time for Mr. Poilievre.
While MPs tell The Globe that the mood inside caucus is congenial, there remains a degree of frustration over the party’s election loss and questions around whether Mr. Poilievre has done enough to address his own role in that.
The Conservatives had a double-digit lead over the Liberals for months, but saw their edge begin to crumble once the trade dispute with the U.S. administration began in the fall of 2024, and ultimately failed to defeat the Liberals in April’s election.
Mr. Poilievre now faces a leadership review at the party’s January convention.
Liberal MP Sean Casey – who last year was one of the first MPs to publicly call on then-prime-minister Justin Trudeau to resign – said internal party turmoil is “horrible” to go through. “I don’t know what goes on inside those walls, but two people in a couple of days, it’s a pretty-bad indicator.”
Regan Watts, who was a senior aide to former Conservative finance minister Jim Flaherty, called Mr. Jeneroux’s departure very problematic for Mr. Poilievre.
“The chaotic nature of these departures is a real issue,” he told The Globe.