Wednesday February 18, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 9:45 am PT | Updated 10:10 am]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Edmonton Riverview Member of Parliament (MP) Matt Jeneroux has crossed the floor.
Elected as a Conservative MP in the April 29, 2025 federal election, he stepped aside from being active MP in November amidst chatter that he was having conversations with the Liberals.
Today, Jeneroux has announced that he has joined the Liberal Party of Canada. He said in a brief livestreamed meeting with Mark Carney that he felt it was “disingenuous” to sit on the sidelines after hearing the prime minister’s Davos speech on economic urgency last month.
This brings the Liberal caucus up to 169 seats.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Edmonton this morning (11 am MT / 10 am PT) to meet with Jeneroux.
Floor crossing trend:
This is the third Conservative to depart to the Liberal bench; the other two are Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Etremont (who now sits on the Liberal front bench) and Toronto-area MP Michael Ma.
The Liberals are now three seats short of a majority.
Generally speaking, all three departed MPs seem to have expressed to be in the governing party, where action is happening for economic change in Canada.
There are three by-elections in the offing that could solidify the Liberal seat count (in the Toronto-area ridings vacated by former MP Chrystia Freeland (who is heading to a job in Ukraine) and former MP Bill Blair (who will head to the UK), and the Montreal-area riding where a recount has been ordered by the Supreme Court).
Family and constituency:
When Jeneroux first stepped back from politics last fall he said he wanted to focus on family. In a statemnt in sociial media today, Jeneroux had ‘difficult and serious’ conversations with his family.
He will also be having to explain his changed party allegiance to the voters of Edmonton Riverbend.
Carney in BC today:
Later today Prime Minister Carney will be in Vancouver to tour an affordable housing project.
Housing and Communities Minister Gregor Robertson will be in Victoria at noon, at a podium with BC’s housing minister regarding affordable housing.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: 45th PARLIAMENT of CANADA | LIBERAL PARTY of CANADA | CONSERVATIVE PARTY |