Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux resigns from Parliament after floor-crossing rumours
OTTAWA — Conservative Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux says he will resign his seat in the House of Commons after days of intense speculation that he would cross the floor to the governing Liberals, as the party tried to stamp out flames of what had been a chaotic week.
In a letter obtained by National Post, the Edmonton Riverbend MP said he informed Conservative Party Whip Chris Warkentin on Thursday of his intention to resign from Parliament at an unspecified date.
“It was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one,” he wrote. He does not specify why he suddenly resigned from Parliament after first being elected in 2015.
Jeneroux’s letter barely makes mention of party leader Pierre Poilievre but notes his admiration “for the many remarkable individuals” on “both sides of the aisle” of the House of Commons.
The resignation means two Conservative MPs have announced their departure from caucus in dramatic fashion in three days, dealing a significant blow to Poilievre less than three months before a leadership review in January.
It also comes at a pivotal moment for both the minority Liberals — who are trying to garner enough votes to pass the 2025 budget through the House of Commons — and Conservatives, who are trying to prevent further bleeding after former party member Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals on Tuesday.
With the House of Commons scheduled for a break next week and MPs set to return to their ridings, Conservatives will be arriving after a disorientating several days where any hope of focusing Canadians’ attention on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s spending plan was overshadowed by internal party drama.
On social media, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on Thursday that Jeneroux would resign in the spring and thanked him for his decade of service in Parliament.
“ On behalf of our Conservative team, I wish you and your family all the best following your decision to step down as a Member of Parliament next spring ,” Poilievre wrote.
Over the past 48 hours, Poilievre’s office has been seized with intense speculation of potential floor-crossing MPs, trying to suss out how many and which caucus members could follow in d’Entremont’s steps.
Jeneroux was seriously considering switching ranks to the Liberals and even met with Carney recently, multiple sources told National Post. They were granted anonymity to discuss internal discussions publicly.
Speculation about Jeneroux’s future within the Conservative Party ramped up on Wednesday after he was notably absent from both his party’s weekly caucus meeting and the House of Commons.
By Wednesday afternoon, his office sent an unattributed statement denying that he was leaving the Conservatives.
Late Thursday evening, Poilievre’s office circulated a message internally addressing Jeneroux’s resignation, as it scrambled to deal with the fallout.
“Matt Jeneroux remains a valued member of the Conservative caucus. His family lives in Victoria, where they recently purchased a home. It was always his intention to leave politics to spend more time with his family in B.C.,” reads the email, obtained by National Post.
“The recent attention over a fake floor crossing rumour expedited his decision to announce his future plans. We wish him all the best after a decade of service to the people of Edmonton Riverbend.”
Shortly after 9 p.m., Jeneroux then posted to Facebook, dismissing any notion that he was strong-armed into announcing his decision, as speculation swirled. Poilievre’s office later sent that statement to the media.
“Since my resignation this evening, I had a great conversation with Pierre Poilievre, who wished me all the best, as I do him,” Jeneroux wrote, who added he regarded his colleagues in the party as “very close friends.”
“To reiterate, this long-standing decision reflects my desire to spend more time with my family.”
After defecting to the Liberals, d’Entremont said at an announcement with Carney on Wednesday that he did not feel aligned with Poilievre’s leadership of the party, adding he believed there were probably others who were in the “same boat.”
Despite grumbling within Poilievre’s caucus, news of d’Entremont’s departure landed as a shock and has injected fresh questions about his leadership approach.
Since losing the April election, the Conservative leader has been making more of an effort to include caucus members and see that more of them were featured publicly, such as in media interviews. Still, some have begun to question his chances of winning against Prime Minister Mark Carney, namely pointing to Poilievre’s tone.
Conservatives saw Thursday’s vote on their sub-amendment against the Liberals’ budget as a way to get their MPs on record as opposing it, and thus making it more awkward for anyone potentially thinking of joining the government.
Individual MPs have also spent the past two days blasting d’Entremont’s decision as a betrayal, with Ontario MP Jamil Jivani calling him “an idiot” and B.C. MP Aaron Gunn said he was “a coward.”
Conservatives had a much warmer reaction to Jeneroux’s announcement Thursday.
“ It was a pleasure to serve with Matt Jeneroux, a strong and consistent advocate for his constituents ,” wrote MP Gernett Genuis .
“After 10 years of dedicated service as an MP and 4 as an MLA, Matt leaves a legacy of service to his community and our country,” Conservative Whip Chris Warkentin wrote of his friend Jeneroux .
National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com
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