Thursday December 11, 2025 | OTTAWA, ON [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC | 6:29 pm PT | Updated 7:02 pm PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
As recently as last night, then Conservative MP Michael Ma was partying with the Conservative caucus team.
Tonight he was a headline speaker at the Carney Liberal Christmas party.
That it was done so secretly is an indication of how important this was to the Liberals that they would have invested significant personnel resources to manage this so carefully in a political environment that feeds on rumours and bits of information.
Around 6:15 pm Eastern this evening (3:15 pm PT), the Liberal Party of Canada issued a statement from Ma (MP for Markham-Unionville) that he had joined the Liberals. Ma is a first-time MP, newly elected in the April 2025 election.
But he’s not exactly new to political ambition — Ma came in second in the Toronto area riding of Don Valley East in the 2019 federal election; he did not run in 2021.
This brings the Liberals to a count of 171 MPs. With 343 seats in the House of Commons, that means only one more would give Carney a clear majority government.
Markham-Unionville is a riding just north of Toronto, a settled suburban area with some rural areas — a bustling local and regional-impact economy. Nestled in the heart of the southern Ontario ‘905’ area, this riding now held by a Liberal MP adds one more significant weight on the scales that could see the Liberals tip to a majority by early in the new year.
Ma’s statement was more than a simple ‘hello’ from the new side of the aisle. He furthered the Liberal pitch that Carney’s government is “offering the steady, practical approach we need to deliver on the priorities”.
He outlined the priorities as “making life more affordable, growing a strong Canadian economy, strengthening community safety and creating real opportunities for young people and families who are working hard to build their Canadian dream”.
That phrase “working hard to build their Canadian dream” is something new. In the previous Liberal government under Justin Trudeau that would have been called “working hard to join the middle class”.
The Conservatives naturally say that Ma will have the voters in his constituency to answer to, which of course would have voted for Ma as a Conservative in the April 28, 2025 election. They said the same about Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont when that now-former Conservative MP crossed over to the Liberals last month on Budget day.
Both departures from the Conservatives carry that extra bite of political irony for happening at significant points in the political cycle: Chris d’Entremont departing on the day Carney’s first budget was introduced and now Michael Ma departing at the end of the Fall Session, in time for the Liberal Christmas party and stirring up doubt about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s leadership review success at the Conservative leadership convention in January (January 29 to 31 in Calgary).
Another MP left the Conservatives in November and will be leaving politics altogether — Alberta Matt Jeneroux stepped aside just one day after budget day in November.
House resumes January 26:
MPs are now on a six-week year-end break. The House of Commons reconvenes on January 26, 2026.
Here is the full text of Michael Ma’s statement:
Today, the Liberal Party issued the following statement from Michael Ma, Member of Parliament for Markham–Unionville
Michael Ma, MP (Markham-Unionville) – December 11, 2025 – Liberal Party of Canada
“After listening carefully to the people of Markham–Unionville in recent weeks and reflecting with my family on the direction of our country, I have informed the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition that I will be joining Prime Minister Mark Carney in the government caucus.
“This is a time for unity and decisive action for Canada’s future.
“I came to Canada at twelve years old as the youngest of seven, quickly learning the importance of hard work and resilience. Those values — building up others, delivering results, and choosing a path that creates opportunity — have guided me throughout my career in business and now as a Member of Parliament.
“In that spirit, I have concluded that Prime Minister Mark Carney is offering the steady, practical approach we need to deliver on the priorities I hear every day while door knocking in Markham–Unionville. That includes making life more affordable, growing a strong Canadian economy, strengthening community safety, and creating real opportunities for young people and families who are working hard to build their Canadian dream.
“I entered public service to help people — to focus on solutions, not division. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Carney to make sure that Markham–Unionville, and all of Canada, can move forward with confidence and build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous future.”
===== RELATED:
- Alberta Conservative MP Jeneroux resigns ahead of federal budget vote (November 6, 2025)
- Budget-day boost: Conservatives lose one MP to the Liberals (November 5, 2025)
- Poilievre addresses Conservative caucus ahead of return to parliament (September 14, 2025)
- By-election & reshaping the Conservatives — will shifting Byrne’s role be of any help? (August 9, 2025)
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