John Wallace

John Wallace, a Liberal MP from Ontario, crossed the floor to join the Liberal-Conservative Party in 1883. Like several Ontario MPs of the era, Wallace was attracted by John A. Macdonald's National Policy of protective tariffs, which promised economic growth for Ontario's nascent manufacturing sector. The pull of Macdonald's booming industrial economy proved stronger than Liberal leader Edward Blake's free-trade advocacy.

Wallace served out his term as a Liberal-Conservative. His crossing was one of several during the 1880s that strengthened Macdonald's hold on Ontario and demonstrated the National Policy's effectiveness as a political tool for the Conservative coalition.