Joining Liberals was best for riding: Gladu

Marilyn Gladu crossed the floor from the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals because it was the "best thing" for her riding, the country and herself, the Sarnia MP said Thursday night in Montreal.

Gladu stole the opening show at the Liberal national convention after she stunned political circles across the country by unexpectedly crossing the floor from the Tories earlier this week.

After just a day in her new party, Gladu told reporters in a late-night scrum that she's "super excited" to be at her first Liberal confab in Quebec, and she's "proud to be part of the prime minister's new government" at a "critical moment for the country."

The former Conservative MP has come under scrutiny for her history of taking positions that clash with Liberal policy and for her past alignment with the Freedom Convoy and vaccine skeptics. But she showered praise Thursday evening on the Liberals' economic agenda and pledged to promote the party's core values.

"I will vote with the government, I will protect the rights and freedoms of women to chose, for people to be who they are and love who they love," she said, and noted she's "ready to support the rights of women in this country."

Earlier in the day -- in a scene carefully orchestrated for TV cameras -- Prime Minister Mark Carney and an entourage of cabinet ministers walked recent Liberal convert Gladu through throngs of party members lined up in the convention hall for selfies and handshakes. 

Carney later watched the Montreal Canadiens face the Tampa Bay Lightning, also shaking hands and chatting with those in the stands. He also met Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, and players Alex Newhook, Mike Matheson and Jake Evans. 

Little more than a year ago, in the waning days of Justin Trudeau's leadership, Liberals were gloomily contemplating almost certain electoral defeat at the hands of the Conservatives.

But as Liberals gathered for their national convention Thursday, the face of the party looked a lot more like it did when Trudeau's father ran it: a brokerage party made up of people with disparate views.

That, at least, was the impression prominent Liberals were trying to convey.

One day after Gladu left the Conservative benches to join the government side, Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon told reporters outside the convention hall Thursday the party is "obviously extremely happy to welcome Marilyn” to the fold.

"Many people who live in Conservative ridings are responding positively to the kind of policies that Mr. Carney is putting forward, that the Liberal party is proud to put forward," he said. "Obviously, Marilyn is one of those. We know there are others who want to be part of the positive building of the country that we’re undertaking." 

Supporters were all smiles before the TV cameras, cheering on the fourth ex-Tory to join their ranks.

Cabinet ministers and party members defended her decision to cross the floor. 

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the "party of government" should be able to host "all perspectives within Parliament."

“I welcome Marilyn Gladu with open arms, as I have with Lori Idlout and all the others," he said, mentioning the former New Democrat who crossed the floor to the Liberals last month.

"Ultimately, we will keep expanding and make sure we’re an open and welcome place for Canadians of all political stripes to join."

Health Minister Marjorie Michel said Gladu is welcome under the party's "real big tent."

"If people are coming to us, I think it’s because we’re more welcoming maybe than others," she said.

Liberal MP Chris D'Entremont, the first of the four former Conservatives to cross the aisle since late last year, said it's time to "put our political sides aside and actually focus on the things that are important for Canadians."

"That’s what you saw in the floor crossings and I think that’s what you’re seeing in the Canadian citizenship where they’re looking across Canada and saying, 'That guy’s got a plan that makes sense to me,'" he said.

Bill Kudla, a former supporter of the late NDP leader Jack Layton, ran in 2025 for the Liberals in a New Brunswick riding but was defeated by the Conservative incumbent Rob Moore. He said Canadians should be allowed to change their political views and that now is the time to band together in the face of American aggression.

“To have a stable government for four years while (U.S. President Donald Trump) is in power is extremely important. I’d rather not run again right now in lieu of having a stable government so that we can fight back,” he said.

The opposition floor crossers have brought a majority government within reach for the Carney Liberals — though MacKinnon and other cabinet ministers said they did not want to count their chickens before they hatch.

The convention kicked off just ahead of three byelections scheduled for Monday, two in Liberal strongholds. The results are expected to grant the Liberals a majority mandate without the need to call a general election.

The party is also riding high in the polls nationally. Polling aggregator 338Canada has the Liberals at 45 per cent support.

Zita Astravas, a consultant with Wellington Advocacy and Trudeau's former director of issues management, said Liberals from across the country are "feeling pretty good" right now.

“There’s a spring in people’s steps being a Liberal in politics right now," she said.

"It's not about patting themselves on the back, but momentum and energy are important in a political party," said Jonathan Kalles, a consultant with McMillan Vantage who formerly served as Quebec adviser to Trudeau. "Right now the Liberals have it, so it's an opportune time to get everyone together."

Carney is set to address the convention on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET — the first time he has done so since winning the leadership.

Kalles said many at the party level still know little about Carney and the convention offers a way for them to get to know him, and for party brass to check the pulse of the grassroots.

That's going to become increasingly important for Carney as the caucus gets more diverse and more challenging to manage, he said.

"With people that have such diverse points of view and are fairly ideological, that becomes a challenge. Most Liberals may lean one side or the other, but I would say they are not particularly ideological," Kalles said. "I don't know that it's sustainable in the long term."

Cameron Ahmad, a former director of communications for Trudeau, said five months of floor crossers in Parliament sends "a really strong signal that the party is doing well" and shows the party remains an "inclusive and welcoming place."

Ahmad said Carney has re-energized the party and he remembers feeling a similar electricity in the air when Trudeau was first elected leader.

"There was such a breath of fresh air into the party and people felt like there was a renewal," Ahmad said.

Azam Ishmael, the Liberal party's national director, boasted Thursday that the party expects a "record-breaking number" of supporters to attend the convention — around 4,500 members.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

By Kyle Duggan | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.