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As the Liberals gear up for three federal byelections on Monday that could deliver them a majority government, House leader Steven MacKinnon says the government will “continue that impulse of working across party lines” even if it’s not required to co-operate to pass legislation.
“We think the times require and demand that we work with other parties,” MacKinnon said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday morning. “On these solutions, we want to be a unifying government.”
Voters in two Ontario ridings, University—Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest, as well as the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, will head to the polls on Monday to elect three new MPs.
The Liberals need to win just one of those races to secure a razor-thin majority government. Because the Speaker of the House is a Liberal MP, winning two or all three would give the party more control of House business.
It would also give Prime Minister Mark Carney more runway to implement his agenda, moving the next scheduled election to 2029.
The Ontario ridings up for grabs, both in Toronto, are considered safe Liberal seats, while Terrebonne was won by the Liberals by just one vote over the Bloc Québécois during the spring 2025 election.
The Supreme Court of Canada annulled the 2025 federal election result in that Montreal-area riding.
MacKinnon said the government has found success in working with other parties on certain issues, and he doesn’t think winning a majority “will change our duty to be unifiers. Our duty is to reach across the aisle in the House of Commons.”
Liberals nab another floor-crosser
On Wednesday, the Liberals picked up another Conservative floor-crosser after Ontario Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu announced she would join the government benches.
Once seen as a social conservative, Gladu clarified some of her previous positions from the sidelines of the Liberal national convention in Montreal on Thursday, saying she’s pro-choice and anti conversion therapy.
When asked how her views fit in the Liberal tent, MacKinnon said the party “has always stood” for human rights and a woman’s right to choose.
“That’s the party. That is a home for anyone who chooses to join it and to adhere to those values,” MacKinnon added. He credited Gladu for working across the aisle in the past and said she should not “be reduced to a caricature of one moment or another.”
“We’re very keen to have her and her talents added to our group,” MacKinnon told host Rosemary Barton.
In a statement to her Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong constituents announcing her move, Gladu wrote that she’s heard from the community “that you want serious leadership and a real plan to build a stronger and more independent Canadian economy.”
“Today, there is both the opportunity — and the responsibility — to build our country’s strength and success with a more constructive, collaborative approach,” she wrote.
She is the fourth Conservative MP since last spring’s election to cross the floor to the Liberals. The others, in order, are Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont, Ontario MP Michael Ma and Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux.
The Liberals also picked up Nunavut MP Lori Idlout from the NDP in March.
Conservative caucus is united, says MP
Despite the losses, Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar told Barton the caucus remains united and “represents a voice of people in this country who have put their hope on us to deliver the job of advocating on their issues every single day.”
“The frustrations that we feel are the frustrations of our people who wonder why our democracy is being diminished this way,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has blasted the floor-crosses and argues the Liberal government is using “dirty backroom deals” to secure a majority, despite what Canadians voted for in the last federal election.
Poilievre said on Thursday that if an MP goes back on the word they made to their constituents and switches parties, constituents should be able to petition to throw them out and have a byelection.
“That would put the people back in charge of our democracy rather than having dirty backroom deals,” he said.
After Marilyn Gladu became the fourth Conservative MP to join this Liberal government, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said he believes ‘constituents in her riding and every riding should be able to petition for a byelection whenever a member of Parliament changes parties.’
Majumdar pushed back on the notion that Poilievre could be hampering the party and referred to his leadership review in January, where he received 87.4 per cent approval from delegates.
“He is the only leader in this country who is working on the priorities of Canadians and advancing them relentlessly,” Majumdar said.
Barton will host special coverage of the three byelections on Monday beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
