Liberals courted d’Entremont for years until “he saw the light”

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the Liberals had been courting former Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont behind the scenes for five years before he ultimately crossed the aisle.

Source: CPAC

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the Liberals had been courting former Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont behind the scenes for five years before he ultimately crossed the aisle.

“We’ve been trying to recruit him for a long time,” Joly told reporters in French on Parliament Hill on Wednesday. “Finally, he saw the light.”

D’Entremont had served as a Conservative MP for six years, after first being elected in the 2019 election.

Liberal MP Kody Blois, who also represents a riding in Nova Scotia, confirmed that he and d’Entremont had been speaking “for a long time about the ways in which we can collaborate.”

“It’s great to see Mr. d’Entremont join. If there’s other members of Parliament feeling the same way, again, I think we’re always welcome to those conversations,” said Blois.

While Blois didn’t explicitly say he had been attempting to enlist d’Entremont, he said the Liberals are a big-tent party with room to accept more “moderate” conservatives.

When asked if the Carney government was actively trying to recruit more MPs, Blois said that “wouldn’t be a conversation I’m going to have right here in front of the media.”

The former Conservative MP met with Prime Minister Mark Carney at a post-budget media conference on Wednesday, saying he didn’t believe his values as a “red Tory” were being “represented.”

“I didn’t find I was represented there … my ideals of an easterner, of a red Tory and quite honestly of trying to find ways to find solutions and help the community rather than trying to oppose everything that’s happening,” said d’Entremont.

He also alluded to the possibility of other Conservative MPs “in the same boat” but stopped short of naming anyone specific, saying he would let them share their stories “if the time comes.”

However, he has been the only one to cross the aisle thus far.

Conservatives and their supporters have accused d’Entremont of betraying his constituents and his values in pursuit of his own ambitions.

Rick Perkins, a former Conservative MP for South Shore—St. Margaret’s, another Nova Scotia riding, challenged d’Entremont to resign altogether and allow his constituents to vote in a by-election.

He also claimed that the former Conservative told him last weekend, “If an election is held now, I will lose my seat. I might as well not run.”

“Make no mistake. There is nothing in his floor crossing about principles,” Perkins said. “It was about keeping his job.”

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer said that d’Entremont left due to “personal grievances” for not being “elected deputy speaker” and noted that his decision is a betrayal of all the people in his riding who campaigned for his election.

“I’m disappointed that he let his own personal grievances get in the way of his commitment to his constituents that he would fight for a more affordable budget,” said Scheer on Tuesday. “He’s going to have to explain to all the people that he looked in the eye, took their donations, put signs on their lawns, and then explain why he betrayed them just a few months later.”

According to Elections Canada, d’Entremont accepted at least $17,850 from 36 donors to re-elect him as a Conservative MP in the April 2025 federal election. Donations ranged anywhere from $250 to $1,000 from Conservative supporters.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Marc Miller called their reactions a “testament” to the misery endured by members of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s caucus.

“It’s a testament to how miserable the attitude is in the Conservative party currently, particularly with a miserable leader like Pierre Poilievre, to attack Chris,” Miller said. “He’s universally liked and appreciated and he’s seen as a good guy.”

When asked to respond to the criticisms coming from his former colleagues, d’Entremont said they take the opportunity to be introspective, instead of “knocking people down.”

“I think they should look at themselves and see if they’re offering the right thing to Canadians, of trying to build for the world. We have a great opportunity here in Canada and rather than knocking people down, we should try to find ways to work together, and that’s what I’ve always tried to do in my career,” he said.