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Marilyn Gladu Defects to Liberals, Leaving Carney One Seat Short of a Majority

Three by-elections on Monday could lock in a narrow Liberal majority in the House of Commons.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with MP for Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong Marilyn Gladu in Ottawa, on April 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Standing Committee on the Status of Women chair Marilyn Gladu speaks about a report on coercive behaviour, in the foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
iPolitics tagged along with Bloc Québécois MPs Mario Simard and Alexis Deschênes as they knocked on doors of a residential Terrebonne neighbourhood in support of candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.

Overview

  • Marilyn Gladu, who left the Conservative benches Wednesday, lifted the Liberals to 171 seats, one below the 172 needed for a majority in the 338-member House of Commons.
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Gladu and said all new caucus members must back Liberal positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, while Gladu pledged to vote with the government and support those rights.
  • Gladu’s past record as a social conservative, including support for the 2022 convoy and opposition to a conversion therapy ban, has stirred unease among some Liberals even as party figures frame the caucus as a broad tent.
  • By-elections on Monday in University—Rosedale, Scarborough Southwest, and Terrebonne are expected to decide whether the Liberals reach 173 seats, which would remove reliance on the Speaker’s tie-breaking vote and let them reset committee lineups to secure majorities.
  • Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre urged defectors to resign and recontest their seats, reviving debate over floor-crossing norms that are legal under current rules but contentious among voters who elected MPs under different banners.