MP Chris d'Entremont is applauded and embraced by his new colleagues as he arrives at a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Nov. 5, 2025.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Conservatives put on a brave face as they grappled with the defection of one of their MPs to the minority Liberals, who for their part let it be known Wednesday they were trying to get others to cross the floor as they work to pass their first budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
In the meantime, they welcomed Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont with cheers as he joined their weekly caucus meeting Wednesday, the morning after his stunning decision to quit the Conservatives.
“Chris’s decision to join the government caucus at this crucial moment for our country is exceptionally valuable and important,” Mr. Carney said at the start of an earlier announcement Wednesday morning, which Mr. d’Entremont also attended.
The MP’s annoucement late Tuesday that he was joining the minority Liberals brings them one seat closer to the majority they need in order to ensure the budget will pass. They now hold 170 seats out of 343. The Conservatives now hold 143.
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Both Liberal MPs and party operatives said there are continuing efforts to court other Conservatives, and they are chasing down possible leads, though have no firm commitments as of yet.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the five sources as they were not authorized to discuss internal party operations publicly.
While declining to provide specifics on who else the Liberals may be targeting, Mr. Carney said he was open to conversations.
“My view is I will talk with anyone,” he told reporters.
At the same event Wednesday, Mr. d’Entremont said he believes there are other MPs who are considering crossing the floor.
Prime Minister Mark Carneys says he was honoured to welcome Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont into the Liberal caucus but wouldn't say if he is approaching any other Conservatives to try and convince them to cross the floor.
The Canadian Press
No Conservative MPs would confirm publicly Wednesday they had been approached.
Some moved swiftly to express their confidence in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s leadership – including former leadership contestant Scott Aitchison.
Others condemned Mr. d’Entremont for his decision. Ontario MP Jamil Jivani called him an “idiot,” while another Tory, Matt Strauss, said his move was “pretty obviously careerist.”
Mr. Poilievre has not directly addressed the defection, though Chris Warkentin, the party’s chief whip castigated Mr. d’Entremont and blamed the move on the fact he was held back from becoming deputy speaker.
Though Mr. Carney pegged Mr. d’Entremont’s decision to the budget, Industry Minister Melanie Joly revealed the Liberals have been trying to recruit him since 2019.
“Finally he saw the light,” she said in French.
Mr. d’Entremont has represented the Nova Scotia riding now known as Acadie–Annapolis since 2019, and was the only Conservative elected in his province during the April 28 election. He won his riding by only 533 votes.
He said Wednesday that for months he had felt disconnected from Mr. Poilievre’s approach to federal politics, that he “wasn’t feeling I was aligned with the ideals of what the leader of the Opposition had been talking about.”
Citing this moment “in Canadian history,” he said he felt “it’s time to actually try to lead a country, to try to make it better and not try to knock it down – not to continue to be negative.”
After April’s election, Mr. d’Entremont had publicly expressed disappointment in his party’s performance, saying he didn’t think the Conservatives moved fast enough to address Canadians’ fears about U.S. President Donald Trump and his protectionist policies.
Though the Conservatives added to their seat count in the April vote, Mr. Poilievre lost his own riding. His failure to defeat the Liberals after leading them in the polls for several months led to immediate internal concerns his party was vulnerable to defections in light of the Liberals’ razor thin minority.
MPs react to Chris d'Entremont quitting the Conservative caucus after the minority Liberal government released the federal budget.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Carney has a history of support amongst Conservatives.
He was appointed as governor of the Bank of Canada by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and had a positive working relationship with Mr. Harper’s finance minister, Jim Flaherty.
Mr. d’Entremont’s move and the potential for others to follow also come as Mr. Poilievre prepares for a leadership review at the party’s January convention.
Since returning to the Commons via a by-election, he’s been working to ensure caucus support for his leadership, holding small breakfast meetings with specific groups of MPs, among other things.
Three Conservative MPs told the Globe the mood inside their own caucus meeting Wednesday was generally congenial, with no sign of overt frustration with Mr. Poilievre.
But, the Liberal MPs who say they’ve spoken to others about potentially joining their team say they expect decisions could get made between Nov. 10 to 14, when MPs are back in their ridings for a break week; a final vote on the budget is not expected until later in November.
The uncertainty around the logistics of getting the budget passed continued.
Mr. d'Entremont is embraced by Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, as he arrives at a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Nov. 5, 2025.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The process of debating a budget in Parliament involves a speech from the Leader of the Official Opposition, who then moves an amendment to the motion to adopt the budget. Then, the second largest opposition party can move a sub amendment.
Mr. Poilievre had said he’d be bringing in an amendment, but he ended his speech without moving one. As a result, Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet pounced and took his spot.
Now, the Conservatives are expected to move a sub amendment on Thursday.
The Tories have already said they won’t support the main budget motion and nor will the Bloc.
The NDP have yet to decide which direction they’ll take, or whether they’ll all vote as a block, or if some MPs will abstain and therefore allow the budget to pass.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the fact that even one MP was willing to cross the floor proves the budget is substantive.
“I’ll just say this: the more the merrier.”
With a report from Bill Curry