(Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum/ CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

Federal Politics

Carney’s potential majority ‘creates distrust in the political institutions’: TRU Professor

Mar 15, 2026 | 10:20 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Federal Liberal Party of Canada is getting even closer to a majority government in the House of Commons after an NDP MP joined their caucus this week.

Lori Idlout’s defection comes as three other Conservative MPs – Chris d’Entremont, Michael Ma, and Matt Jeneroux – also crossed the floor to the Liberals in recent months. Political Science observers say floor crossings are a rarity in Canadian politics, and they may stir up ethical questions.

Robert Hanlon, an Associate Professor at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), says floor crossings to this scale are not common in Canada’s political history.

“Seeing these four-floor crossings is quite dramatic. We haven’t seen that in quite some time,”Hanlon said. “It’s more of a testament to the current state of politics in Canada. Pressure from the United States, the increasing popularity of the Liberal Party and the inability of the opposition parties to hold their caucuses together.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has seen a long, drawn-out ‘honeymoon phase’ with his Liberal Party consistently rising in the polls, but Hanlon says there will be some ethical questions for those floor crossers to answer in a future election.

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“When I think of floor crossings, there’s the ethics of the floor crosser. It creates a bit of distrust in the political institutions of Canada from the voters’ perspective, “Hanlon added. “Those floor crossers, if there are future ones, they’re going to have to weigh risks and rewards before they decide.”

Despite the moral questions, Hanlon says there’s a high potential for the Liberals to extend their prospective future majority, with three by-elections scheduled for April 13 – two in Ontario and one in Quebec.

“They’ve taken a very centralist position, which does appeal to some voters and to Members of Parliament,” Hanlon said. “There is always going to be that temptation. Any party in the Liberal position is going to welcome floor crosses, regardless of whether they have a majority or not; they would want a stronger majority.”