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Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont says pushing and yelling from Conservative Party leadership “sealed the deal” on his choice to cross the floor of the House of Commons to the Liberals this week.
After d’Entremont’s musings over a possible defection were reported by Politico on Tuesday, the MP says Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer and party whip Chris Warkentin “barged” into his office, pushed his assistant aside and yelled at him about “how much of a snake” he was.
“It really pushed me to a point where it’s like, ‘OK, I guess my decision is made for sure now,’” he said in an interview on CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday morning.
Describing the “negativity” and “beating up on someone else” coming from Conservative leadership, d’Entremont said, “a lot of times I felt it was part of a frat house rather than a serious political party.”
The Conservative Party has denied d’Entremont’s allegations.
Conservatives deny violence
“Chris d’Entremont, who established himself a liar after wilfully deceiving his voters, friends and colleagues because he was upset he didn’t get his coveted deputy speaker role, is now spinning more lies after crossing the floor. He will fit in perfectly in the Liberal caucus,” a spokesperson for the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition said in a statement to CBC News.
D’Entremont told Rosemary Barton Live guest host Catherine Cullen that he’s moved on from not getting the Speaker job and that the notion of floor crossing had been on his mind “for a long time, basically from the election.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, walks with MP Chris d’Entremont, who crossed the floor from the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
When asked if the Liberals suggested more opportunity, such as a cabinet spot, in exchange for his defection, d’Entremont said, “No, absolutely not.”
He said he heard from several longtime supporters during the election campaign that they would not support him anymore because of the leadership style of the Conservative Party.
It got to a point, d’Entremont said, where he had to distance his re-election campaign from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. “We tried to stay away from pictures of the leader.”
Growing discontent from his constituents, plus a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, made his next moves clearer, he said — though he notes that he did not intend for the story to come out through a “passing comment” he made to Politico on the release day of the federal budget.
A second shot to the Conservatives
D’Entremont’s floor crossing has sparked questions about chaos and discontent in the Conservative caucus — which were only amplified when Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jeneroux announced his intentions to resign from politics just two days later.
According to a Liberal source, Jeneroux also met with Carney earlier this week.
WATCH | Jeneroux’s exit is another blow to Poilievre:
Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux resigns
Matt Jeneroux, the MP for the Alberta riding of Edmonton Riverbend, announced his resignation from the House of Commons on Thursday.
Sources tell CBC News that former Conservative campaign manager Jenni Byrne, who has faced criticism for “toxic and angry” behaviour, has been involved in the party’s efforts to quash any further floor crossings.
In a statement following his resignation, Jeneroux said he was not coerced by the Conservatives to resign.
Asked whether he thought Jeneroux was intending to cross the floor prior to his resignation, d’Entremont said, “I’ll let him tell his story.”
Will more Conservatives defect?
The Nova Scotia MP did say he believed “three or four” other Conservative caucus members were considering crossing the floor when he was deliberating over his decision to leave.
D’Entremont said Conservative MPs had some opportunities to speak to Poilievre over the summer to address any concerns over tone and leadership style.
The MP said he believed that Poilievre, through those conversations, would be changing his leadership style, but then when the fall session began, “it didn’t really seem anything was changing.”
While d’Entremont said he is happy with the decision he’s made, he hasn’t committed to running as a Liberal in the next election — or running at all, for that matter.
“I’m not sure at this point,” he said. “I’m 56, I need to spend some time at home maybe. So we’ll talk that over with the family when the time comes.”
