Politicians

Al Passarell

1985

Alfred Gilpin Jones

1872

Amanda Simard

2020

Amanda Simard is a Franco-Ontarian politician who served as the Progressive Conservative MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell from 2018 to 2022. She crossed the floor to the Ontario Liberal Party in November 2020, citing Doug Ford's cuts to francophone services, including the cancellation of the French-language university. She was one of the most vocal defenders of Franco-Ontarian rights in the Ontario legislature.

Angela Vautour

1999

Angela Vautour is a New Brunswick politician who served as the NDP MP for Beausjour-Petitcodiac from 1997 to 2000. In January 1999, she crossed the floor to the Progressive Conservatives, citing frustration with the NDP's direction under Alexa McDonough. She lost her seat in the 2000 federal election. Before federal politics, she was a New Brunswick MLA.

Belinda Stronach

2005

Belinda Stronach is a Canadian businesswoman and former politician. The daughter of Magna International founder Frank Stronach, she ran for the Conservative leadership in 2004 before crossing to the Liberals in 2005, receiving a cabinet post as Minister of Human Resources on the same day. Her crossing preserved the Martin government during a crucial confidence vote.

Bill Casey

2007

Blair Lekstrom

2010

Blair Wilson

2008

Blair Wilson is a British Columbia politician who served as the Liberal MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country from 2006 to 2008. After being removed from the Liberal caucus over financial irregularities in 2007, he sat as an independent before briefly joining the Green Party in 2008, becoming the first Green Party MP in Canadian history. He lost his seat in the 2008 election.

Brendan Maguire

2024

Brendan Maguire is a Nova Scotia politician who served as the Liberal MLA for Halifax Atlantic from 2013 to 2024. In February 2024, he crossed the floor to the Progressive Conservatives under Premier Tim Houston, citing alignment with the government's direction. He was immediately given a role as a parliamentary secretary. His crossing drew comparisons to the Belinda Stronach and David Emerson cases due to the perceived quid pro quo.

Brent Rathgeber

2013

Brent Rathgeber is a Canadian politician and lawyer from Alberta. He resigned from the Conservative caucus in 2013, citing excessive control by the Prime Minister's Office over backbench MPs. He sat as an independent and wrote a book about his experience, "Irresponsible Government."

Bridget Pastoor

2011

Bruce Banman

2023

Bruce Banman is a British Columbia politician who served as the BC Liberal MLA for Abbotsford South. In January 2023, he crossed the floor to the BC Conservative Party, becoming one of the first MLAs to join the upstart party and helping to legitimize it as a serious political force. His crossing foreshadowed the eventual collapse of BC United (formerly BC Liberals) in 2024.

Bruce Hyer

2012

Buckley Belanger

1998

Bud Olson

1967

Carolyn Parrish

2004

Carolyn Parrish is an Ontario politician who served as the Liberal MP for Mississauga Centre from 1993 to 2006. She was expelled from the Liberal caucus by Paul Martin in November 2004 for repeated public criticisms of the United States and its foreign policy, including stomping on a George W. Bush doll on a comedy show. She sat as an independent for the remainder of her term and later served as Mayor of Mississauga.

Chris d'Entremont

2025

Christopher André d'Entremont is a Canadian politician who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Acadie—Annapolis. A member of the Liberal Party, d'Entremont was first elected to represent the riding in 2019 as a Conservative, before crossing the floor in 2025. He represented Argyle-Barrington in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2003 to 2019 as a member of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives and served as a provincial cabinet minister. d'Entremont served as deputy speaker and chair of Committees of the Whole from 2021 to 2025, the first Acadian member to do so.

Chuck Cadman

2004

D'Alton McCarthy

1893

Dallas Brodie

2025

David Emerson

2006

David Emerson is a Canadian businessman and former politician. Elected as a Liberal in January 2006, he crossed to the Conservatives just two weeks later to serve in Stephen Harper's cabinet as Minister of International Trade and later Minister of Foreign Affairs. His crossing was one of the most controversial in modern Canadian history.

David Kilgour

1990

David Kilgour was an Alberta politician who served as an MP from 1979 to 2006. He is one of the few Canadians to have crossed the floor twice: first from the Progressive Conservatives to the Liberals in 1990 over Meech Lake, and later from the Liberals to sit as an independent in 2005 over the sponsorship scandal. He went on to become a prominent international human rights advocate, particularly regarding organ harvesting in China.

David Kilgour (2nd crossing)

2005

Dean Del Mastro

2013

Dean Del Mastro is an Ontario politician who served as the Conservative MP for Peterborough from 2006 to 2015. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister under Stephen Harper. In 2013, he was charged with overspending in the 2008 election and was removed from caucus. He sat as an independent, was convicted in 2014, and resigned his seat in 2015.

Dennis Drainville

1993

Dennis Fentie

2002

Dennis Fentie was a Yukon politician who served as Premier of Yukon from 2002 to 2011. Originally elected as an NDP MLA for Watson Lake in 1996, he crossed the floor to the Yukon Party in 2002 and promptly won the party leadership and the subsequent general election, becoming Premier. His crossing was one of the most successful in Canadian history, taking him from opposition backbencher to head of government.

Donald James Johnston

1988

Frank Broadstreet Carvell

1917

Frank Broadstreet Carvell was a New Brunswick politician who served as the Liberal MP for Carleton from 1904 to 1918. Known for his sharp tongue and talent for parliamentary opposition, he joined Robert Borden's Unionist coalition in 1917 over the conscription crisis of World War I. He was rewarded with a Cabinet post as Minister of Public Works. After leaving Parliament, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Railway Commissioners.

Frank Calder

1975

Frank Arthur Calder was a Nisga'a politician in British Columbia, the first Indigenous person elected to any Canadian legislature. Elected as a CCF/NDP MLA for Atlin in 1949, he served continuously until 1975. He crossed the floor to Social Credit in 1975 after being expelled from the NDP for supporting the Social Credit government's legislation on Indigenous land claims. His landmark Supreme Court Case, Calder v. British Columbia (1973), established the existence of Aboriginal title in Canadian law.

Garth Turner

2007

George William Andrews

1919

George William Andrews was a Canadian politician and lawyer from Winnipeg. He left the Liberal-Unionist caucus in 1919 to protest the government's violent suppression of the Winnipeg General Strike. He never returned to federal politics, sacrificing his career for his principles.

Gilles Duceppe

1990

Gilles Grégoire

1966

Gordon Minto Churchill

1968

Graham Lea

1985

Guillaume Amyot

1887

Guy Boutilier

2010

Hazen Argue

1962

Hazen Argue was a Canadian politician. After losing the NDP leadership to Tommy Douglas in 1961, he crossed to the Liberals. He was appointed to the Senate in 1966. He resigned from the Senate in 1991 amid fraud charges related to expenses.

Heather Forsyth

2010

Henri Bourassa

1900

Henry Herbert Stevens

1935

Henry Herbert Stevens was a British Columbia politician who served as a Conservative MP from 1911 to 1940. He served as Minister of Trade and Commerce under R.B. Bennett but broke with the party in 1935 to form the Reconstruction Party over disagreements about corporate regulation and price spreads. The new party won only one seat (his own) in the 1935 election but split the Conservative vote badly, contributing to the Liberal landslide. He later returned to the Conservative fold.

Hugh Guthrie

1917

Hugh Guthrie was an Ontario politician who served as a Liberal MP for South Wellington from 1900 to 1917, then as a Unionist/Conservative MP until 1935. He crossed the floor during the 1917 conscription crisis, joining Robert Borden's Union Government. He subsequently became a prominent Conservative, serving as Minister of Militia and Defence and later as Minister of Justice under R.B. Bennett.

Ian Donovan

2014

Jack Horner

1977

Jack Horner was a Canadian politician from Alberta. He served as a Progressive Conservative MP from 1958 to 1977 before crossing to the Liberals, receiving a cabinet post as Minister without Portfolio on the same day. He lost his seat in the 1979 election.

Jack Ramsay

2000

James Armstrong Richardson

1978

James Domville

1896

James Samuel Taylor

1937

Janet (Jan) Brown

1996

Jean Lapierre

1990

Jean-François Larose

2014

Jenica Atwin

2021

Jenica Atwin is a New Brunswick politician who has served as the MP for Fredericton since 2019. Originally elected as the first Green Party MP east of British Columbia, she crossed the floor to the Liberal Party in June 2021, citing disagreements with Green leader Annamie Paul's handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The resulting caucus crisis nearly destroyed the Green Party. Atwin was re-elected as a Liberal in 2021.

Jim Jones

2000

Joe Peschisolido

2002

John Costigan

1900

John Nunziata

1996

John Nunziata is an Ontario politician who served as the Liberal MP for York South-Weston from 1984 to 2000. He was expelled from the Liberal caucus by Jean Chretien in 1996 for voting against the government's budget because it did not include the promised abolition of the GST - a core Liberal campaign promise from 1993. He stood on principle, sitting as an independent and running as an independent in subsequent elections. He remains one of the most cited examples of a principled floor crossing in Canadian politics.

John Patrick (Pat) Nowlan

1990

John van Dongen

2012

Joseph Howe

1869

Joseph Howe was a Nova Scotian politician, journalist, and statesman. He led the anti-Confederation movement in Nova Scotia but ultimately joined the federal government after negotiating better financial terms for his province. He served as President of the Privy Council and later as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

Joseph-Israël Tarte

1893

Keith Martin

2004

Kerry Towle

2014

Lela Evans

2022, 2024

Lela Evans is a Newfoundland and Labrador politician who has served as MHA for Torngat Mountains. She crossed the floor from the NDP to the Liberal Party in 2024, citing a desire to work within government to achieve more for her constituents in Labrador. Her riding covers one of the largest and most remote constituencies in Canada, representing primarily Inuit and Innu communities.

Leona Alleslev

2018

Leona Alleslev is an Ontario politician and former Royal Canadian Air Force officer who served as the Liberal MP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill from 2015 to 2021. In September 2018, she dramatically crossed the floor to the Conservatives during Question Period, citing the Liberal government's failures on economic policy and international trade. She later ran for the Conservative leadership in 2020.

Lori Idlout

2026

Louis-Joseph Papineau

1911

Lucien Bouchard

1990

Lucien Bouchard is a Quebec politician and lawyer who transformed Canadian politics through his floor crossing. Recruited by Brian Mulroney to the Progressive Conservatives in 1988, he was named Environment Minister. He broke with the party in 1990 over the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and founded the Bloc Quebecois, which became the Official Opposition in 1993 with 54 seats. He later served as Premier of Quebec from 1996 to 2001. His crossing was one of the most consequential in Canadian history.

Lucien Lamoureux

1968

Léon Balcer

1965

Maria Mourani

2013

Maria Mourani is a Quebec politician and criminologist who served as the Bloc Quebecois MP for Ahuntsic from 2006 to 2015. She was expelled from the Bloc caucus in 2013 after opposing the party's support for the proposed Quebec Charter of Values, which she argued was discriminatory toward religious minorities. She sat as an independent and later joined the Liberal Party. She lost her seat in the 2015 election.

Marilyn Gladu

2026

Marilyn Gladu is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong since 2015. Elected as a Conservative, she crossed the floor to the Liberals in April 2026.

Matt Jeneroux

2026

Matt Jeneroux is an Alberta politician who served as the Conservative MP for Edmonton Riverbend from 2015 to 2026. Previously an Alberta PC MLA, he crossed the floor to the Liberal Party in 2026, citing deep concerns about the direction of the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre and what he described as increasingly divisive rhetoric. His crossing was particularly notable as an Alberta Conservative joining the Liberals - historically one of the rarest moves in Canadian politics.

Maxime Bernier

2018

Maxime Bernier is a Canadian politician from Quebec. After narrowly losing the 2017 Conservative leadership race, he left the party in 2018 to found the People's Party of Canada. Despite running in multiple elections, his new party has failed to win any seats beyond his own in 2019.

Maxime Raymond

1943

Maïté Blanchette Vézina

2026

Michael Ma

2025

Michael Ma is a British Columbia politician who crossed the floor from BC United to the BC Conservative Party in 2025. His crossing was part of a broader realignment of right-of-centre politics in British Columbia following the collapse of BC United in 2024, as conservative-leaning politicians migrated to the increasingly competitive BC Conservative Party under John Rustad.

Newton LeGayet MacKay

1873

Paul Hellyer

1971, 1972

Paul Hellyer was one of Canada's most restless political figures. First elected as a Liberal MP in 1949, he served as Minister of National Defence under Lester Pearson and was responsible for the controversial unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. He left the Liberals in 1971 over policy disagreements and ran for the PC leadership in 1976, losing to Joe Clark. He went on to found the Canadian Action Party and ran for multiple parties over his career, crossing the floor multiple times. He held the record as the longest-serving member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

Peter Milobar

2024

Pierre Brien

2003

Raymond Rock

1972

Richard Holden

1992

Richard Holden was a Quebec politician who served as an MNA for Westmount from 1989 to 1994. Originally elected as a member of the Equality Party (an anglophone rights party), he crossed the floor to the Parti Quebecois in 1992 - a remarkable move from an anglophone rights party to the sovereignty movement. He cited frustration with the Equality Party's ineffectiveness and an evolving view on Quebec's constitutional future.

Richard John Cartwright

1869

Sir Richard John Cartwright was a Canadian politician who served as Minister of Finance under Alexander Mackenzie. Originally a Conservative, he crossed to the Liberals after being passed over for the Finance portfolio by Sir John A. Macdonald.

Robert N. Thompson

1968

Robert Toupin

1986

Robert Toupin was a Quebec politician who served as the Progressive Conservative MP for Terrebonne from 1984 to 1988. In 1986, he crossed the floor to sit as an independent, citing disagreements with the Mulroney government. He did not seek re-election in 1988.

Ross Thatcher

1955

Ross Thatcher was a Canadian politician who served as the 10th Premier of Saskatchewan. Originally a CCF (socialist) MP, his views shifted rightward and he left the party. He later became leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party and won the premiership in 1964.

Sam Drover

1955

Samuel McDonnell

1874

Sana Hassainia

2014

Sana Hassainia is a Quebec politician who served as the NDP MP for Vercheres-Les Patriotes from 2011 to 2015. She was one of the many NDP MPs elected in Quebec during the 2011 "Orange Wave." In 2014, she left the NDP caucus to sit as an independent, citing the party's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict as the primary reason. She did not run in the 2015 election.

Sandra Jansen

2016

Sandra Jansen is an Alberta politician who served as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-North West from 2012 to 2019. In November 2016, she dramatically crossed the floor to the Alberta NDP, citing harassment and intimidation within the PC party during her bid for the party leadership. She reported being called names and receiving threats. She was appointed to Rachel Notley's cabinet as Minister of Infrastructure. Her crossing highlighted the toxic culture within the Alberta PCs during the party's final years.

Scott Brison

2003

Scott Brison is a Canadian politician who served as President of the Treasury Board. Originally a Progressive Conservative, he crossed to the Liberals in 2003 after the Conservative merger. He rose to become a senior cabinet minister under Justin Trudeau before resigning in 2019.

Teresa Wat

2024

Thomas Alexander Crerar

1930

Tom Osborne

2012

William Stevens Fielding

1917

William Stevens Fielding was a Nova Scotia politician who served as Premier of Nova Scotia (1884-1896) and later as federal Minister of Finance under Wilfrid Laurier (1896-1911) and Mackenzie King (1921-1925). During the 1917 conscription crisis, he supported Robert Borden's Union Government, breaking with the main Liberal party. He was one of the most senior Liberals to join the Unionist cause and served as a bridge between the two parties during World War I.

Édouard Lacroix

1943