The Principled Stand

Maïté Blanchette Vézina

2026Notable

Coalition Avenir Québec → Conservative Party of QuebecMNAQuebec

2/5

Blanchette Vézina, CAQ MNA and former cabinet minister, crossed to the Conservative Party of Quebec in 2026.

Lela Evans (1st crossing)

2022Notable

Progressive Conservative → NDPMLANewfoundland and Labrador

1/5

Lela Evans, the Progressive Conservative MHA for Torngat Mountains — a vast northern Labrador riding representing predominantly Inuit and Innu communities — resigned from the PC…

Amanda Simard

2020Notable

Prog. Conservative → LiberalMPPOntario

1/5

Simard resigned from Doug Ford's Ontario PC caucus because the government cut funding for Franco-Ontarian services - including eliminating the French Language Commissioner. She …

Fournier, PQ MNA for Marie-Victorin, left the PQ to sit as an independent, citing the party's insufficient commitment to Quebec sovereignty and its failure to modernize.

On February 28, 2018, seven of the Bloc Québécois's ten MPs left the party following leader Martine Ouellet's defeat in a leadership review referendum. The departing MPs — Miche…

Leona Alleslev

2018Notable

Liberal → ConservativeMPOntario

2/5

Alleslev left the governing Liberals for the opposition Conservatives, citing concerns about economic and defence policy. This is unusual - most people cross TO the governing pa…

Sandra Jansen

2016Notable

Prog. Conservative → NDPMLAAlberta

3/5

Jansen was a Progressive Conservative who crossed all the way to the left-wing NDP - one of the rarest types of crossing. She cited harassment she experienced during the PC lead…

Bellavance, BQ MP for Richmond-Arthabaska since 2004, left the Bloc to sit as an independent, expressing disillusionment with the party's direction.

Sana Hassainia

2014Notable

NDP → IndependentMPQuebec

0/5

Hassainia disagreed with NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She left the party over it.

Brent Rathgeber

2013Notable

Conservative → IndependentMPAlberta

0/5

Rathgeber was a Conservative backbencher who became increasingly frustrated with Stephen Harper's tight control over MPs. He felt MPs were being treated as rubber stamps rather …

Mitchelmore and Kirby left the NL NDP caucus in protest against the leadership of Lorraine Michael. They briefly sat as "Independent NDP" before joining the Liberals.

Patry, NDP MP for Jonquière-Alma, crossed to the Bloc Québécois in February 2013, saying he could better serve his constituents and Quebec national interests with the BQ.

Lamrock, New Brunswick Liberal MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak and former Education Minister, left the Liberals to join the NB NDP, citing a shift in his political views towar…

Maria Mourani

2013Notable

Bloc Québécois → IndependentMPQuebec

0/5

Mourani left the Bloc and publicly renounced her belief in Quebec sovereignty - a fundamental change of heart. She wanted to join the NDP, but the NDP has a policy against accep…

Bruce Hyer

2012Notable

New Democratic Party → Green PartyMPOntario

1/5

Hyer, NDP MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, left the NDP in 2012 over the party's whipped vote on the long-gun registry. He sat as an independent before joining the Greens in 2…

John van Dongen

2012

BC Liberal → BC ConservativeMLABritish Columbia

0/5

Van Dongen, a long-serving BC Liberal MLA, crossed to the BC Conservatives in 2012, citing dissatisfaction with Premier Christy Clark's leadership.

St-Denis, NDP MP for Saint-Maurice-Champlain, crossed to the Liberals in January 2012, just months after the NDP's historic Quebec sweep, saying she had always been a Liberal at…

Tom Osborne

2012Notable

Progressive Conservative → LiberalMHANewfoundland

5/5

Osborne, a long-serving PC MHA, left the PC caucus and joined the Liberals, citing dissatisfaction with the party's direction.

Six PQ MNAs — Louise Beaudoin, Pierre Curzi, Lisette Lapointe, Jean-Martin Aussant, Benoit Charette, and René Gauvreau — left the PQ to sit as independents, citing deep dissatis…

Casey, PC MLA for Colchester North, crossed to the Liberals in 2011 after clashing with PC leader Jamie Baillie.

Blair Lekstrom

2010

BC Liberal → IndependentMLABritish Columbia

2/5

Lekstrom, BC Liberal MLA for Peace River South and former cabinet minister, left the BC Liberal caucus to protest the party's implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

Heather Forsyth

2010Notable

Progressive Conservative → Wildrose AllianceMLAAlberta

3/5

Forsyth, a long-serving PC MLA and former cabinet minister, crossed to the Wildrose Alliance with Rob Anderson over dissatisfaction with PC governance.

Anderson, PC MLA for Airdrie-Chestermere, crossed to the Wildrose Alliance along with Heather Forsyth, citing overspending, broken promises, and democratic reform.

Bill Casey

2007Notable

Conservative → IndependentMPNova Scotia

3/5

William David "Bill" Casey, the Conservative MP for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley in Nova Scotia, was expelled from the Conservative caucus on June 6, 2007, after vo…

Joseph R. "Joe" Comuzzi, a Liberal MP from Thunder Bay—Superior North since 1988, was suspended from the Liberal caucus in March 2007 after voting in favour of the Harper Conser…

Louise Thibault, a Bloc Québécois MP for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, left the BQ caucus in April 2007 to sit as an Independent. Thibault was elected in the 2004 e…

Branch, New Brunswick Liberal MLA for Nepisiguit, left the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent over policy disagreements with the government.

Malley, New Brunswick PC MLA, left the PC caucus to sit as an independent following disputes with the party leadership.

David Kilgour (2nd crossing)

2005Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPAlberta

0/5

Kilgour left the Liberal caucus in 2005, citing the sponsorship scandal and disagreements on Sudan policy. This was his second floor crossing — he had previously crossed from th…

O'Brien left the Liberal caucus over the government's same-sex marriage legislation, sitting as an independent.

André Bachand, a Progressive Conservative MP for Richmond—Arthabaska since 1997, refused to join the newly merged Conservative Party of Canada on February 2, 2004, choosing inst…

Cools, a Liberal senator since 1984, crossed to the newly formed Conservative Party in 2004 over her opposition to same-sex marriage legislation. She was the first Black Canadia…

Masyk, Alberta PC MLA for Edmonton-Norwood, crossed the floor to join the Alberta Alliance Party over disagreements with PC governance.

Bryden, Liberal MP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Aldershot, crossed to the newly formed Conservative Party in 2004, disagreeing with Liberal policies.

John Herron, a Progressive Conservative MP for Fundy—Royal since 1997, was one of the last three sitting PC MPs to refuse to join the new Conservative Party of Canada when it wa…

Keith Martin

2004Notable

Canadian Alliance → LiberalMPBritish Columbia

4/5

Martin, a physician and MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, left the Canadian Alliance (which was merging with the PCs) to join the Liberals, saying the new Conservative Party was to…

Pierre Brien

2003

Bloc Québécois → IndependentMPQuebec

0/5

Brien, Bloc Québécois MP for Témiscamingue, left the BQ to sit as an independent, expressing waning interest in the sovereignist cause.

Lebel, Bloc Québécois MP for Chambly, left the BQ caucus to sit as an independent over disagreements with the party leadership.

Mark, MP for Dauphin-Swan River, was part of the DRC dissident group within the Canadian Alliance. He left and eventually joined the Progressive Conservatives.

Carignan, a Liberal senator from Quebec, left the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent in the Senate over policy disagreements.

In the summer of 2001, approximately fourteen Canadian Alliance MPs — including Deborah Grey (the party's first-ever MP), Chuck Strahl, Grant McNally, Val Meredith, Jay Hill, Ji…

Angela Vautour

1999Notable

NDP → Prog. ConservativeMPNew Brunswick

0/5

One of the most dramatic ideological shifts - from the left-wing NDP all the way to the right-wing Progressive Conservatives.

Cullen, Ontario Liberal MPP for Ottawa West, left the Liberals to join the Ontario NDP, citing disagreements over the party's direction on social policy.

Bernard St-Laurent, a Bloc Québécois MP for Manicouagan, broke with the party in March 1997 following internal disputes with the BQ leadership. St-Laurent had been elected in th…

Gooshen, Saskatchewan PC MLA, refused to join the new Saskatchewan Party formed from the merger of PCs and Liberals, choosing instead to sit as an independent.

John Nunziata

1996Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPOntario

0/5

In 1993, the Liberals won a huge election partly by promising to eliminate the GST (sales tax). Once in power, they broke that promise. Nunziata voted against his own party's bu…

Denis Pronovost, a Progressive Conservative MP from Quebec, left the Conservative caucus in June 1993 as the Mulroney government was in its death throes. Pronovost was part of t…

Dennis Drainville

1993

Ontario NDP → IndependentMPPOntario

0/5

Drainville, Ontario NDP MPP for Victoria-Haliburton, quit the NDP caucus to sit as an independent to protest the Rae government's decision to allow casino gambling in Ontario.

Holden represented English-speaking Westmount in a party that fought for English language rights. He crossed to the Parti Québécois - a French-first, pro-independence party. It …

David Kilgour

1990Notable

Prog. Conservative → IndependentMPAlberta

3/5

Kilgour left the Conservatives over policy disagreements. He later joined the Liberals. Then in 2005, he left the Liberals too - one of only two people to cross the floor twice.

John Patrick (Pat) Nowlan

1990

Progressive Conservative → Independent ConservativeMPNova Scotia

0/5

Pat Nowlan, a veteran Progressive Conservative MP for Annapolis Valley—Hants who had served since 1965, left the Conservative caucus in June 1990 over deep disagreements with Br…

Donald James Johnston

1988Notable

Liberal → Independent LiberalMPQuebec

1/5

Donald Johnston, a prominent Montreal Liberal MP and former cabinet minister under Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, broke with the Liberal Party in January 1988 over his vehement…

Ramsay, Ontario NDP MPP for Timiskaming, left the NDP to join the Ontario Liberals under David Peterson.

Lupusella, Ontario NDP MPP for Dovercourt, left the NDP to join the Ontario Liberals alongside David Ramsay.

William Yurko, a Progressive Conservative MP for Edmonton East and former Alberta provincial cabinet minister, broke with his party in January 1982 over fundamental disagreement…

Rideout, a Newfoundland Liberal MHA, crossed to the PCs over his opposition to the federal government's handling of offshore resource ownership, siding with Brian Peckford's pos…

James Armstrong Richardson

1978Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPManitoba

0/5

Richardson, former Defence Minister, resigned from the Liberal cabinet and caucus over his opposition to official bilingualism and the government's language policies.

Stanley Stanford Schumacher, a Conservative MP from Palliser in Alberta, left the PC caucus to sit as an Independent in 1978 over a dispute with party leader Joe Clark. Schumach…

Thatcher, Saskatchewan Liberal MLA for Thunder Creek and son of former Premier Ross Thatcher, defected to the PCs over dissatisfaction with the provincial Liberal party's direct…

Paul Hellyer

1972

Independent → Progressive ConservativeMPOntario

0/5

After leaving the Liberals to sit as an independent in 1971, Hellyer joined the Progressive Conservatives in 1972, hoping to run for the PC leadership.

Raymond Rock

1972

Liberal → New Democratic PartyMPQuebec

0/5

Rock, Liberal MP for Lachine, crossed to the NDP over disagreements with the Liberal government's policies.

Roch La Salle, a Progressive Conservative MP from Joliette in Quebec, briefly sat as an Independent in the early 1970s during a dispute with PC leader Robert Stanfield. La Salle…

Paul Hellyer

1971Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPOntario

0/5

Hellyer left the Liberals, tried to start his own party, joined the Conservatives, then went back to the Liberals, then started another party. He crossed the floor more times th…

Ryan, Liberal MP for Toronto Spadina, crossed to the Progressive Conservatives over policy disagreements with the Trudeau government.

Gordon Minto Churchill

1968Notable

Progressive Conservative → Independent Progressive ConservativeMPManitoba

0/5

Gordon Churchill was a towering figure in Progressive Conservative politics — one of John Diefenbaker's most loyal cabinet ministers who served as Minister of Trade and Commerce…

Lucien Lamoureux

1968Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPOntario

4/5

Lucien Lamoureux, the Liberal MP for Stormont—Dundas in eastern Ontario, chose to sit as an Independent in 1968 when he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons. While Speake…

Robert N. Thompson

1968

Social Credit → Progressive ConservativeMPAlberta

4/5

Thompson, former national leader of Social Credit, crossed to the PCs after the Social Credit Party fragmented and lost relevance federally.

Gilles Grégoire

1966Notable

Ralliement des créditistes → IndependentMPQuebec

3/5

Gilles Grégoire, a founding member and key organizer of the Ralliement des créditistes (the Quebec wing of Social Credit), was expelled from the party around 1966 after clashing…

Léon Balcer

1965Notable

Progressive Conservative → IndependentMPQuebec

0/5

Léon Balcer, one of the most senior Quebec Progressive Conservative MPs and a former cabinet minister under John Diefenbaker, left the PC caucus in 1965 over what he saw as the …

Rémi Paul, a Progressive Conservative MP from Quebec, left the PC caucus around 1965 as part of the broader Quebec Conservative revolt against John Diefenbaker's leadership. Lik…

Ross Thatcher

1955Notable

CCF (socialist party) → IndependentMPSaskatchewan

3/5

Thatcher was a socialist MP, but over time his views shifted dramatically to the right. He left the CCF because he no longer believed in their policies.

Sam Drover

1955Notable

Liberal → CCFMHANewfoundland

0/5

Drover left the Newfoundland Liberal Party to become the province's first Member of the House of Assembly representing the CCF (predecessor to the NDP).

Édouard Lacroix

1943

Liberal → Bloc populaire canadienMPQuebec

2/5

Édouard Lacroix, a wealthy Quebec lumber baron and Liberal MP, joined Maxime Raymond's Bloc populaire canadien in 1943, providing the fledgling party with crucial financial back…

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 dissatisfie…

Alan Webster Neill, a Progressive MP from Comox—Alberni in British Columbia, left the Progressive Party around 1925 to sit as an Independent. Neill was a committed advocate for …

Hammell, Progressive MP for Muskoka, rejoined the Liberal Party as the Progressive movement began fracturing.

Knox, elected as a Liberal-Unionist in 1917, joined the growing Progressive movement in 1919 as prairie farmers organized politically against the traditional parties.

George William Andrews

1919Notable

Liberal-Unionist → IndependentMPManitoba

0/5

Andrews represented the heart of Winnipeg. When the government violently crushed the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, he couldn't stay in the party. He left to sit alone as an i…

David-Arthur Lafortune, a Quebec Liberal MP, broke from the Liberal caucus to sit as an Independent Liberal around 1909, reflecting internal tensions within the Quebec Liberal c…

Henri Bourassa

1900Notable

Liberal → IndependentMPQuebec

4/5

Henri Bourassa, grandson of Louis-Joseph Papineau and Liberal MP for Labelle, resigned his seat in 1899 to protest Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's decision to send Canadian tro…

John Costigan

1900Notable

Liberal-Conservative → LiberalMPNew Brunswick

3/5

John Costigan had served as a Conservative MP for over 30 years and had been a cabinet minister under four Conservative prime ministers — John A. Macdonald, John Abbott, John Th…

Dalton McCarthy

1893Notable

Conservative → IndependentMPOntario

1/5

D'Alton McCarthy, one of the most prominent Conservative MPs and a close ally of John A. Macdonald, broke with the Conservative Party over the Manitoba Schools Question — whethe…

Joseph-Israël Tarte

1893Notable

Conservative → LiberalMPQuebec

4/5

Joseph-Israël Tarte, a Quebec Conservative journalist and politician, had been one of the party's most effective organizers in Quebec. However, he became disillusioned with the …

Guillaume Amyot

1887

Conservative → NationalistMPQuebec

1/5

Amyot, Conservative MP for Bellechasse, left the Conservative caucus to sit as a Nationalist, protesting the execution of Louis Riel and the government's treatment of French Can…

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. …

Samuel McDonnell

1874

Conservative → LiberalMPNova Scotia

2/5

McDonnell, Conservative MP from Inverness, crossed to the Liberals in the wake of the Pacific Scandal.

Newton LeGayet MacKay

1873

Conservative → LiberalMPNova Scotia

3/5

MacKay, Conservative MP from Cape Breton, crossed to the Liberals in 1873 during the Pacific Scandal crisis that brought down John A. Macdonald's government.

Alfred Gilpin Jones

1872Notable

Independent → LiberalMPNova Scotia

4/5

Alfred Gilpin Jones, elected as an Anti-Confederate in 1867 and then sitting as an Independent, gradually aligned with the Liberal Party by 1872 as the anti-Confederation moveme…