Jacques Lavoie

Jacques Lavoie, a Progressive Conservative MP from Quebec, crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party in 1977. His switch came during a period of intense political flux in Quebec following the Parti Québécois's stunning 1976 provincial victory, which sent shockwaves through federal politics. Several Quebec MPs reconsidered their allegiances as the sovereignty question dominated all political discourse. Lavoie saw the Liberal Party under Pierre Trudeau as the most effective bulwark against Quebec separatism.

Lavoie served as a Liberal MP and was eventually appointed to the Senate. His crossing reflected the magnetic pull that Pierre Trudeau's forceful federalism exerted on Quebec political figures in the late 1970s, as the battle over Quebec's future intensified.