The Principled Stand

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 …

Seven of the Bloc's ten MPs left the party to protest their leader Martine Ouellet. They formed a temporary group called Québec debout. It was an organized revolt - 70% of the c…

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…

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…

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

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 …

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…

Deborah Grey was the very first Reform/Alliance MP ever elected. She and 12 other Alliance MPs publicly revolted against their leader Stockwell Day, accusing him of poor leaders…

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

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…

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 …

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.

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…

Lévesque believed Quebec should become its own country. The Liberals disagreed. So he left and eventually founded the Parti Québécois.

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.

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…