Liberals are elated while Poilievre accuses Carney of 'backroom deals' after NDP defection
CBC
Smiling broadly, Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed MP Lori Idlout to the Liberal caucus on Wednesday after convincing yet another opposition member to defect to the governing party — a political coup that brings him one step closer to a majority government.
Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill with Idlout by his side, Carney said the former New Democrat is "one of the greatest constituency MPs" who has ably represented Nunavut, a riding he noted is as big as Mexico but has a small fraction of the people.
He said Idlout is "very down to earth," and together they will work on projects "large and small in Nunavut."
Idlout said there wasn't one overriding factor that pushed her into the Liberal fold.
"Like with any complicated issue, it wasn't one thing that happened," she said when asked why she made the switch.
"A variety of things have allowed me to really reflect on this and I'm thankful to be so warmly welcomed."
Idlout has flirted with joining the Liberals for months — even though she has been a fierce critic of the government's policies at times. In January she said she wasn't ready to make the jump
Last week, she appeared a campaign rally for Avi Lewis, who is widely regarded as the front-runner in the NDP leadership race. She offered what seemed to those in the room to be a half-hearted endorsement of Lewis.
"I truly am nervous about my influence," she told the assembled crowd at an Ottawa church.
Then, Idlout met privately with Carney in his office on Tuesday, according to his spokesperson, and formally set in motion the departure.
In a written statement released by the Liberal Party, Idlout said that threats to Canada's sovereignty and "pressures on the well-being of people throughout the North" inspired her to join a government that can address those issues.
"Mark Carney is our first prime minister from the North, and at this turning point in our history, I am ready to work with him to build a strong future for Nunavut and for all of Canada," she said, referencing Carney's birth in the Northwest Territories.
This defection means the Liberals now have 170 MPs — just two seats shy of a majority government.
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