Cross-dressing

A CBC producer reached out the other day. ‘We want to talk about floor-crossing,” she said. And I was invited to tell the nation about my experience.

Nah, demurred I. Not happening.

Now, this is a hot topic. There are economic consequences, along with the obvious political ones. Nobody alive can recall when five federal MPs changed their party allegiances and joined the government in a single Parliamentary session. It’s weird and unprecedented. When the Sarnia area’s Marilyn Gladu did it this week, the Carney Libs came within a seat of having a majority.

That will happen after Monday’s three byelections. Big Daddy needs to win only one.

Why is this occuring? How could a minority government turn into a monolith months after an election?

Gladu (elected as a Con) says she moved because she wants ‘serious leadership” and a “real plan for the economy”. Lori Idlout, a Dipper from Nunavut, joined the Libs to get “strong and serious leadership on sovereignty.” Conservative Matt Jeneroux from Edmonton crossed because of Carney’s stands on national unity and the economy. No footsie with the Wexit whackos for him. GTA’s Michael Ma left the Tories and joined the red caucus because of the “steady, practical approach” he says Carney exhibits. And Nova Scotian Chris d’Entremont was the first to desert the Cons in this session, saying the Liberal economic agenda suited him better than what his party was offering.

Rumour has it the bleeding from Pierre Poilievre’s caucus may not yet be over. There are also reports about 40 of his MPs (there are 140 left) feel they’re unelectable if the current leader takes them into the next vote.

Why does a majority matter?

Obviously stuff gets done faster. The guys in charge don’t need to endlessly compromise to stay in power – the way Trudeau did for the last years of his tenure. Having to suck up to the NDP for House of Commons support meant Trudeau’s government was pulled further and further left into the woke fog of quasi-socialism. And by abandoning the centre, it risked being totally wiped out.

Carney’s emergence is proof a majority of Canadians are a lot happier when the needle swings neither left nor right. They want fiscal responsibility. They don’t get fussed about gender identity. They’re more secular than religious. Patriotic without being nationalist. They swing-vote more often, which may be why these MPs feel they can change sweaters in the middle of the game.

And let’s also remember how our system works. Canadians don’t get to vote for a prime minister, a group or a government. Their one ballot is for a person to sit in that green chair and represent them in the House of Commons. That candidate is aligned with a party, but the voter chooses a human, not a team.

Still, crossing the floor is a controversial – and often lethal – action to take. The politicians who make that trip have to be immensely motivated by principle, since there is no monetary reward and the chances of being re-elected under the new colours are sketchy.

For Carney, and the country, a majority government will allow this nation-building infrastructure orgy to forge ahead. Mines, ports, highways, housing projects and a massive bump in defence spending will define the next few years. The government can also move with more certainty on new trade arrangements with Europe, China, Japan, Australia and Korea so our dependence on a now-unreliable American partner can be chopped. These are things we need. They’ve been too long in coming. But here we are.

In the political world, these defections and crossings are kryptonite for the Conservatives. The last few leaders have turned the Progressive Conservatives party into the ranks of Reform. Poilievre has taken it into the realm of maple MAGA. As a result, he blew a massive polling lead, lost the federal election, lost his own seat, was forced to run again in a 100% safe riding, has shed popular support and now presides over more MP defections than any leader before him.

Pierre is toast. The sooner the party replaces him with a centre-right, fiscally-prudent but socially-compassionate leader, the faster it gets back into contention. And we need a strong bunch of Conservatives. In opposition or in power.

So why did I turn the CBC down?

Because I never crossed the floor. I was elected twice – once as a PC when Mulroney was boss, then years later as a Con under Harper. He and I clashed. I opposed his push to bring in 0% house downpayments and 40-year mortgages, arguing this would ignite prices (it did). He told me to stop my campaign for digital democracy, which included daily blogging, online polling of constituents and interviewing opposition MPs and leaders. I refused.

One Wednesday morning at national caucus the finance minister took the microphone and said, “Garth Turner is not leading an alternative government.” And that was the end of me. Punted.

I sat as an independent and learned how ineffective that was. The Libs invited me to join their group as a special advisor to the Leader of the Opposition (not Trudeau) and work on economic and environmental policy. I did. In the next election the Harper team swamped my riding with workers and money. As expected, I lost.

And there was nary a day of regret.

About the picture: “Thought I would share this shot of Finnegan on the trail in Stanley Park, Vancouver,” writes Stephen. “The light was too good to pass up, and it served as a brief, quiet reminder to appreciate the stillness before getting back to the grind. I’ve always enjoyed reading the posts you’ve made over the years.”

To be in touch or send a pictutre of your beast, email to ‘garth@garth.ca’.

Source: https://www.greaterfool.ca/2026/04/09/cross-dressing/