Pushing, yelling from Conservative leadership ‘sealed the deal’ on defection: d’Entremont
CBC
Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont says pushing and yelling from Conservative Party leadership "sealed the deal" on his choice to cross the floor of the House of Commons to the Liberals this week.
After d’Entremont’s musings over a possible defection were reported by Politico on Tuesday, the MP says Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer and party whip Chris Warkentin “barged” into his office, pushed his assistant aside and yelled at him about “how much of a snake” he was.
“It really pushed me to a point where it’s like, 'OK, I guess my decision is made for sure now,'” he said in an interview on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday morning.
Describing the “negativity” and “beating up on someone else” coming from Conservative leadership, d’Entremont said, “a lot of times I felt it was part of a frat house rather than a serious political party."
The Conservative Party has denied d'Entremont's allegations.
"Chris d’Entremont, who established himself a liar after wilfully deceiving his voters, friends and colleagues because he was upset he didn’t get his coveted deputy speaker role, is now spinning more lies after crossing the floor. He will fit in perfectly in the Liberal caucus," a spokesperson for the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition said in a statement to CBC News.
D'Entremont told Rosemary Barton Live guest host Catherine Cullen that he's moved on from not getting the Speaker job and that the thought of floor crossing had been on his mind “for a long time, basically from the election.”
When asked if the Liberals suggested more opportunity, such as a cabinet spot, in exchange for his defection, d’Entremont said, “No, absolutely not."
He said he heard from several longtime supporters during the election campaign that they would not support him anymore because of the leadership style of the Conservative Party.
It got to a point, d’Entremont said, where he had to distance his re-election campaign from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. “We tried to stay away from pictures of the leader."
Growing discontent from his constituents, plus a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, made his next moves clearer, he said — though he notes that he did not intend for the story to come out through a “passing comment” he made to Politico on the release day of the federal budget.
D’Entremont’s floor crossing has sparked questions about chaos and discontent in the Conservative caucus — which were only amplified when Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jeneroux announced his intentions to resign from politics just two days later.
According to a Liberal source, Jeneroux also met with Carney earlier this week.
Sources tell CBC News that former Conservative campaign manager Jenni Byrne, who has faced criticism for "toxic and angry" behaviour, has been involved in the party's efforts to quash any further floor-crossings.
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