Ernest Edward Perley

Ernest Edward Perley, a Liberal MP from Saskatchewan, crossed to the Conservative Party around 1935 during the Great Depression. Like several western MPs, Perley was dissatisfied with Liberal leader Mackenzie King's cautious response to the economic crisis and was drawn to R.B. Bennett's more activist approach, which in 1935 included his dramatic "New Deal" radio addresses promising sweeping economic reforms including unemployment insurance and minimum wages.

The timing of Perley's switch was unfortunate: Bennett's Conservatives were crushed in the October 1935 election, winning only 40 seats as Mackenzie King returned to power with a massive majority. Perley's crossing became one of many examples of MPs switching to what turned out to be the losing side.