Marilyn Gladu says her floor-crossing is the ‘best thing for my riding, for the country and for myself’
MONTREAL — Floor-crosser MP Marilyn Gladu defended her move to the Liberals on Thursday evening, arguing the decision is what’s best for her riding, while also promising to vote with the party on social issues.
“This is actually the best thing for my riding, for the country and for myself,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Liberal National Convention in Montreal.
“After 10 years and four elections, arguably even my strong Conservative supporters are saying to me, look we like you, you’ve worked hard, but we really need that support, we have infrastructure needs.”
Earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived to the convention with the latest addition to his caucus, as party faithful attending the conference shrugged at her past social conservative ideas.
When she announced her intention to cross the floor to the Liberals on Wednesday, Gladu promised to “continue bringing” her perspectives into the government tent, but Carney said the anti-abortion ex-Conservative MP will now vote according to Liberal social policies.
“The Liberal party always will support the right of women to choose, always and without question,” Carney told reporters Thursday morning.
“She will vote with the government if there are votes relating to any aspect of that issue, as well as the rights of Canadians to be their whole selves, to love who they love, and to fully enjoy their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said of Gladu.
The prime minister’s comments come the day after Gladu, who over the last decade as an MP has expressed social conservative views such as calling for a renewed debate on abortion and opposing a sweeping Liberal ban on conversion therapy, defected to the Liberals , writing to her former Conservative colleagues that she was bringing her values to her new caucus.
“All of you know what I stand for, and know that I will continue bringing these perspectives inside the government tent, particularly in growing a strong economy at this important moment for Canada’s future,” she wrote to Tory MPs shortly after announcing her moving to the Liberals.
During her time as a Conservative, Gladu was one of the Liberals’ fiercest critics both publicly and within her own caucus. She also espoused a number of views that were criticized by the Liberals , such as supporting the 2022 Freedom Convoy, promoting the unproved use of drug Hydroxychloroquine instead of vaccines to combat COVID-19 and opposing the Liberals’ legalization of cannabis.
Speaking from Contrecoeur, Que. on Thursday, Carney responded to numerous questions about Gladu joining his caucus by insisting that it is Gladu who will now adopt Liberal positions, not the other way around.
“There has been no change in the values of the Liberal party,” he began in French. “We’ve ran on a clear platform, clear values, defending the Charters of Rights and Freedoms, defending the right of women to choose, defending same-sex marriage, anti-conversion therapy,” he added in English.
“The (MPs) who are joining the Liberal party at this critical time and supporting us… recognize those clear policy positions, those values, that’s where we will go, that’s what we will support, that’s where we will advance.”
Gladu confirmed she will vote with the Liberal government on social issues.
“I agree with what the prime minister said,” she told reporters. “I will vote with the government, I will protect the rights and freedoms of women, for people to be who they are and love who they love.”
What Gladu brings to the table for the Liberals, Carney argued, is two decades of business experience, technical knowledge as a chemical engineer and an ability to work with colleagues of all political stripes.
But when asked if there were certain positions that an opposition MP held that he would refuse to accept into his caucus, Carney demurred.
As recently as January, Gladu supported a former a Conservative colleague’s petition that called for automatic byelections when a member of Parliament defects to another party.
When asked if she would resign her seat and call a byelection, she said that would require a change to the Elections Act.
“I also said that in order for that to happen, the Elections Act has to be changed,” said Gladu. “And the Elections Act has to be changed to make sure that people have to either sit as independents or call a by election, that law has not been changed.
Gladu has represented the Ontario riding of Sarnia—Lambton–Bkejwanong since 2015 and won her seat handily in the 2025 election with 53.1 per cent of the popular vote.
The new Liberal MP took the convention stage Thursday evening where she was greeted by a warm applause by the audience. She said Carney is building a big tent coalition.
Carney is expected to attend the full three days of the Liberal convention, which will run until Saturday, when he will deliver a closing speech to party members.
The party said it was record-breaking year for attendance, with 4,500 Liberals expected to gather this weekend. Other floor crossers are also in attendance, including Matt Jeneroux, Michael Ma, Chris d’Entremont and Lori Idlout.
When asked about the latest addition to Carney’s caucus, convention attendees shrugged at Gladu’s social conservative ideas.
“I will judge her actions going forward, and I believe that all of us are able to evolve and mature and work towards greater issues,” said Aaron Stafford, who has been a Liberal member since 2019.
Pooja Sinha, who has been a party member for seven years and canvased for several candidates in the greater Greater Toronto Area, said her party can reflect differences that exist throughout the country.
“What I pride so much about Canada is also how we are so different, and yet we make this work,” she said. “We make Canada work, and that’s amazing, and that reflects in the party and the different views that it’s showing at the moment.”
The general mood of the convention is one of optimism. The party is flying high ahead of three byelections on Monday that will most likely give the Carney government a majority in the House of Commons.
Two Toronto byelections in the ridings of Scarborough Southwest and University—Rosedale, which were previously held by Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland, are heavily favoured towards the Liberals.
The third byelection will be held in Terrebonne, Que., where the Liberals won by one vote against the Bloc Québécois, before the results were nullified by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Carney spent the early part of Thursday campaigning in Terrebonne with Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste.
With Gladu’s crossing, the Liberals now hold 171 seats, one seat shy of a majority. The party needs two more seats to ensure a majority, because the Speaker of the House of Commons is a Liberal MP.
A Postmedia-Leger poll released last week puts approval of the Liberal government’s performance at 57 per cent, compared to 34 per cent who say they’re dissatisfied. Carney’s personal approval rating stands at 58 per cent, while 33 per cent said they disapprove of the prime minister.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was on the other side of the country on Thursday in British Columbia, where he defended his leadership after his party has lost four members of his caucus to the Liberals.
“Our mandate, and my leadership, does not come from dirty backroom deals,” he said, during a press conference in Richmond, B.C. “It comes from the people of Canada.”
Poilievre said constituents should be able to petition to force a byelection if their MP crosses the floor.
While a majority is expected, Liberal party members acknowledged that it will be a “razor thin” majority, unless Carney can secure more floor crossers.
“We’ll have to see how we govern with respect to committees and things of that nature,” said Sheila O’Gorman, longtime Liberal member. “Because it’s not as easy, even though the Conservatives are and have been working with the Liberal government, time will tell.”
National Post
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