Patterns & Analysis

Some politicians are given a cabinet post on the very same day they cross. Examples: Belinda Stronach (2005), David Emerson (2006), Jack Horner (1977), Brendan Maguire (2024). The message is clear - your vote has a price, and the price is a promotion.

Some receive their reward later - a Senate appointment, a regulatory job, a spot on a government board. Hazen Argue (1962) got a Senate seat years later. Frank Carvell (1917) got a well-paid railway job after leaving Parliament.

For many, crossing the floor destroys their career. Maxime Bernier (2018) lost his safe seat. Paul Hellyer (1971) never held office again. The voters punish disloyalty more often than they reward it.

The most admirable crossings are the ones that cost the person everything. John Nunziata (1996) was expelled for standing by a promise. Brent Rathgeber (2013) gave up a safe seat to protest Prime Ministerial control. George William Andrews (1919) lost his career standing up for workers.

Sometimes crossing the floor is a weapon. The 7 Bloc MPs who left in 2018 were trying to remove their leader - and it worked. Danielle Smith's 2014 mass crossing was a strategic gamble - and it backfired spectacularly.