The Liberals need a few floor-crossers to form a majority. That might not be so easy

Mark Gollom · CBC News

· Posted: May 04, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

With the federal Liberals just a fewer seats shy of a bulk government, there's been immoderate speculation implicit whether Prime Minister Mark Carney mightiness beryllium zeroing successful on members of Parliament from different parties to transverse the level and articulation his party's fold.

But coaxing implicit those fewer MPs needed for a bulk would inactive beryllium a important challenge, immoderate observers say.

"Oh, that's hard," said erstwhile B.C. NDP MP Nathan Cullen. "That's a full heap of motivation flexibility that you're going to beryllium seeking."

"The situation is that you're ne'er afloat trusted by the enactment you crossed to and you're hated by the party you conscionable left," Cullen said. "So you tin beryllium prepared for immoderate lonely days."

The Liberals won a 4th mandate by capturing 169 seats, conscionable missing retired connected the 172 seats needed for a bulk government. Although astir members of Parliament are elected with a enactment affiliation — immoderate whitethorn tally arsenic Independents — they aren't required to enactment with that party.

"Crossing the floor" is the look utilized to picture "a Member's determination to interruption each ties binding the Member to a peculiar governmental party," according to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice.

WATCH | Mark Carney asked astir MPs crossing the level to the Liberal Party:

Carney says 'mandate is strong'

Asked during his quality league Friday whether helium was trying to pull different enactment members to transverse the level and join the Liberal caucus, Carney didn't specifically answer, saying alternatively that his "mandate is strong."

While overtures could beryllium made to immoderate enactment member, the Liberals mightiness spot immoderate NDP MP-elects arsenic much vulnerable to crossing the floor. Only seven of the party's candidates were elected, its person Jagmeet Singh mislaid his riding and the NDP has lost "recognized party" status. 

Yet immoderate with the NDP have already publically insisted they person nary volition of leaving their party.

"I'm a arrogant subordinate of the NDP caucus," NDP MP-elect Jenny Kwan said successful a statement. "I ever stay unfastened to moving collaboratively with different parties connected nationalist argumentation solutions but I americium a New Democrat and volition stay a New Democrat."

NDP MP-elect Gord Johns besides told CBC News that "it's not an option."

"I'm a New Democrat. I'm a arrogant New Democrat. It's thing I wouldn't adjacent see nary substance what the … script is," helium said. 

Cullen says he doesn't spot immoderate anticipation for an MP to transverse the level that wouldn't necessitate a "whole heap of rationalization and pretzel twisting," and that wouldn't potentially anger constituents.

"I don't spot Conservative voters watching a Conservative transverse the level and being blessed with the notion. And treble that for the NDP."

High-profile level crossings

Members of Parliament person crossed the level since Confederation and determination person been some high-profile floor-crossers successful the caller past.

In 2005, Conservative MP Belinda Stronach, who had tally for the enactment of the enactment conscionable a twelvemonth earlier, crossed the level to the Liberal Party to go a subordinate of past premier minister Paul Martin's cabinet.

David Emerson was elected arsenic a Liberal successful the B.C. riding of Vancouver-Kingsway in the 2006 election. But helium was sworn successful arsenic a subordinate of Stephen Harper's Conservative furniture 2 weeks later.

Both defections drew controversy. Emerson's level crossing would go the absorption of an probe by the morals commissioner, who yet cleared Emerson and Harper of wrongdoing. 

Stronach would spell connected to win in the adjacent predetermination running as a Liberal successful her Newmarket-Aurora riding. Emerson decided not to tally again.

Still, Cullen believes that specified floor-crossings are "potential governmental suicide."

A 2018 survey examining House of Commons floor-crossers from 1867 to 2015 recovered that party switchers person progressively paid an electoral terms astatine the ballot box.

Issues of morale and loyalty

Christopher Cochrane, an subordinate prof of political subject astatine the University of Toronto, says that's 1 of the challenges for a imaginable floor-crosser — they person to be in a territory wherever a Liberal could conceivably win.

"Otherwise, the person's conscionable dormant successful the h2o arsenic soon arsenic there's an predetermination call," helium said. "So that apt would truly disincentivize an MP from crossing over."

He says it's also challenging to find an MP from different enactment who's reasonably ideologically aligned with the party, and able to accept the kinds of policies they mean to implement.

Cochrane says Liberals would also have to interest astir the morale issues connected their ain team.

An MP from different enactment who crosses the level could extremity up with a cabinet position oregon immoderate different high-profile role, angering those MPs who've been loyal to the enactment for years.

"So you tin make morale issues and make loyalty issues," Cochrane said.

"And erstwhile you person a ace slim majority, the past happening you privation to bash is benignant of incentivize successful immoderate mode signifier oregon signifier a backbench revolt successful your ain party."

Floor-crossers whitethorn not beryllium necessary: strategist

But contempt being just a fewer seats distant from a bulk government, Carney may not request to poach MPs from different parties, according to Liberal strategist Stevie O'Brien.

She questioned the request for a bulk authorities astatine this time, saying there's nary appetite from immoderate of the parties to spell backmost to the polls.

The NDP is leaderless, has no wealth and mislaid enactment status, while the Bloc Québécois has indicated a willingness to enactment the authorities arsenic agelong arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump remains a threat, she said.

"So astatine slightest for the adjacent 2 years, I don't think there's immoderate urgency for Prime Minister Carney to spell making promises, oregon courting … other parties."