Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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OTTAWA — Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu left the Conservative caucus to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals on Wednesday, pushing the government closer to a majority ahead of three byelections next week.
Carney welcomed her to the caucus in a meeting at his office Wednesday afternoon.
“I couldn’t be happier,” he said alongside a smiling Gladu.
He said Gladu was “one of the most collaborative members of Parliament, working across party lines on important issues, and really dedicated to her electors.”
Gladu said the country needs “a serious leader who can address the uncertainty that has arrived due to the unjustified American tariffs.”
“I’ve been watching the prime minister since he was elected, and the big things that he is driving — nation-building projects, diversifying our trade, bolstering our defence, plans to address criminality and build more homes — these are all the things that Canadians want,” she said.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon, who was present when Carney met with Gladu on Wednesday, confirmed to The Canadian Press he did have discussions with Gladu ahead of her decision to cross.
“I’ve had conversations with her over a long period of time, and this is what uniting looks like. I’m glad she’s on the team and she’s going to contribute to build. I think it’s good.”
Carney ran in last year’s election on a platform of diversifying trade beyond the United States and pushing forward major infrastructure projects, a platform that helped propel his party from electoral doom to a minority government in the election last April.
The Liberals have maintained a solid lead over the Conservatives in national polls during the past year, one that has now grown to double digits in most polls.
Gladu is the fifth opposition MP to join the Liberals since November, and the fourth from the Conservative caucus. Matt Jeneroux, Chris d’Entremont and Michael Ma all left the Tory benches, while Lori Idlout crossed over from the NDP.
Her addition to the caucus means the Liberals can breathe easier ahead of the byelections on Monday.
There are now 171 Liberals in the House of Commons, one shy of a majority. The party is widely expected to win the byelections in two Toronto-area ridings, which would put the Liberals into majority territory, above the 172-seat minimum. A third byelection in Terrebonne, north of Montreal, is a tight race between the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney on Wednesday of “seizing a costly Liberal majority that voters denied him, and doing so through backroom deals” — the same criticism he expressed when three other Tories left for the government benches.
Poilievre also issued a sharp critique of Gladu, who told a local media outlet in January that she believed MPs who leave their party to join another should quit their post and trigger a byelection.
“I could not agree more. She should do so,” Poilievre said in a social media post.
“The people in her community voted for our Conservative vision of a Canada that is affordable, safe and strong at home, not for the costly Liberal government she has now joined. She should honour her word and let voters decide.”
Gladu told reporters Wednesday that Carney invited her into “the large Liberal tent.”
But some are questioning just how big that tent is getting, given some of Gladu’s past positions and statements.
In 2021, she apologized for sharing “misinformation about the severity of COVID-19 and the safety and efficacy of vaccines” during an interview with CTV News. She was also a supporter of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” which saw protesters angered by pandemic restrictions block the streets of downtown Ottawa with large trucks.
In 2020, she said she would allow party members to introduce bills to restrict abortion, and in 2021 she was criticized for voting against a Liberal bill that banned conversion therapy. She later issued a statement saying she “vehemently” opposed conversion therapy, and supports the LGBTQ+ community.
NDP MP Leah Gazan said in a media statement that Gladu is a “far-right social conservative” and her decision to join the Liberal caucus is “outrageous but not surprising.”
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the ideological gap between the Liberals and Conservatives is shrinking.
“If you are a progressive Liberal in that Liberal caucus, you must start asking yourself, ‘Who the hell is talking for me?'” Blanchet said at a press conference in Terrebonne on Wednesday.
Lisa Kirbie, a political consultant and CEO of Blackbird Strategies, took issue with Gladu’s politics in a social media post.
“As a progressive Liberal, I’d rather a general election than taking anti-gay, anti-abortion conservatives,” she said.
Gladu and Carney didn’t take questions from reporters on Wednesday.
Gladu has been elected as a Conservative four times in the Sarnia region since 2015.
She ran for the Tory leadership in 2020 but did not meet the qualifications to be on the ballot that Erin O’Toole won.
Poilievre named her the party’s critic for civil liberties last May. She’s also chair of the House committee on the status of women.
Gladu has been critical of Carney and took aim at him in social media posts.
After he was named Liberal leader, she shared a video saying Carney was part of the “disastrous mess” of inflation that she blamed on Justin Trudeau’s government.
“I don’t see that he is going to bring any change at all,” she said on March 15, 2025.
Gladu said in a statement Wednesday that she’s “ready to work with Prime Minister Carney to build a stronger, more independent, and more competitive Canadian economy.”
She also said her district of Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong “was always a bellwether riding.” It was last held by the Liberals from 1993 to 2006 and has been held by the Conservatives since then.
Kim Fyfe, head of the Liberal riding association for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, said the association did not know about Gladu’s plans in advance but hopes to meet with her in person at the Liberal convention this weekend.
“We’ll be working with Marilyn,” Fyfe said. “She’s been our opponent in the last number of elections, but now we’ll be working with her to encourage Liberal values in our riding and try to co-operate and work together on this.”
The president of the riding’s Conservative association, Pete Aarssen, also said it wasn’t advised ahead of time, adding that Gladu decided to “personally negate the huge electoral win she earned” as a Conservative candidate last year.
“We are saddened, shocked and deeply disappointed in Marilyn Gladu’s decision,” Aarssen said in a statement.
Gladu’s departure comes a day after Poilievre’s director of communications, Katy Merrifield, told caucus that she will be leaving her post after Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.
— With files from Kyle Duggan
Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
