Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d'Entremont, who crossed the floor in November from the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Canadians are split on what they think should happen when a member of Parliament decides to change political parties, a new poll suggests.
The survey of just over 1,000 people was conducted by Nanos Research for The Globe and Mail shortly after the Liberals secured a majority government in April, following three by-elections and five MPs crossing the floor since November.
Respondents were closely divided on the issue, with 34 per cent believing an MP should resign and run in a by-election, 32 per cent saying an MP should sit as an independent until the next election and 30 per cent saying they should be allowed to switch parties. Four per cent were unsure.
Under House of Commons rules, MPs can change party affiliation without penalty and are not required to resign their seats.
Although legal, floor crossing remains politically contentious, sparking public and partisan division. Polling aligns with the parties’ reactions. Conservatives and New Democrats condemned recent defections to the Liberal Party. The Conservatives said voters in the affected riding should be able to force a by-election through a petition, while the NDP has long said all floor crossers should immediately resign and face a by-election.
Previous Conservative governments have accepted floor crossers from other parties.
The Liberals have defended the floor crossings as legitimate decisions by individual MPs who believe they can better serve constituents from within the Liberal caucus.
Nanos conducted its research between May 3 and May 6, reaching out via landlines, cellphones and online. The poll surveyed a random group of 1,003 Canadians aged 18 and older.
The margin of error is plus-or-minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The results are in line with Nanos findings from December, 2025, and March, 2026.
More than 300 MPs have crossed the floor while in office since Confederation
Nik Nanos, the chief data scientist for Nanos Research, said he believes the opinions on floor crossing have remained consistent because they reflect personal values and longer-term trends.
Regional cultural differences drive values and opinions, he said, pointing to results from the Prairies, where 43 per cent of respondents believe MPs should resign and run in a special by-election, and in Quebec, where 45 per cent of respondents said an MP should sit as an independent.
A lot of the initiatives for recall legislation of MPs originated in the West, which has a strong, grassroots, populist kind of culture, Mr. Nanos said. By contrast, Quebec has had referendums on sovereignty and is more independently minded.
The 2025 federal election saw the Liberals three seats shy of a majority with 169 seats. The resignation of two cabinet ministers, Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair, coupled with a court overturn of the vote in Terrebonne, dropped the Liberals’ seat count to 166.
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In November, 2025, Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont became the first Tory to cross the floor. He was followed by four opposition members – three Conservatives and one New Democrat – bringing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government seats to 171.
In April, three by-election wins handed the Liberals their sought-after majority, but public opinion remains split on what actions should follow when MPs cross party lines.
When asked for their views on the Liberals moving from a minority to a majority government, 53 per cent of respondents believe the country will be better off, 26 per cent think it will be worse off, 17 per cent believe it will be the same and 5 per cent were unsure.
Mr. Nanos said he believes Canadians’ opinions on being better off with a majority are “code for stability,” in the context of the cost of living, Canada’s relationship with the United States and instability in trade between the two countries. It is “quite unusual” for a government to see rising support during periods of economic or geopolitical uncertainty, he later added.
Stability may have a lot to do with the motivation behind these opinions, said Lori Turnbull, a political analyst and professor at Dalhousie University, echoing remarks from Mr. Nanos.
She pointed to Canada’s imminent trade negotiations with the U.S. as a factor that may influence Canadians’ views.
“I think people might become more comfortable seeing the Prime Minister just being able to have the mandate to negotiate,” she added.