Edmonton Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux crosses floor to join Liberals
Posted Feb 18, 2026 8:34 am.
Last Updated Feb 18, 2026 11:46 am.
A Conservative MP from Alberta has crossed the floor to the Liberal caucus, becoming the third Conservative to join the governing Liberals in recent months.
Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jeneroux made the move just three months after suddenly announcing he was resigning from the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on social media Wednesday morning.
“I am honoured to welcome Matt Jeneroux to our caucus as the newest member of Canada’s new government,” Carney wrote on X.
“Building a stronger, more resilient, and more independent country will require ambition, collaboration, and occasionally, sacrifice. I am grateful to Matt and his family that he will continue his service as a strong voice for Edmonton Riverbend in Parliament.”
Jeneroux will take on a new role as special advisor on economic and security partnership for the Liberals, Carney said.
“Matt’s leadership will contribute to strengthening Canada’s alliances and trade partnerships, advancing Canada’s leadership in global security cooperation, and building our strength at home,” Carney wrote.
The pair met a few hours later for a photo op at the Edmonton International Airport.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Jeneroux’s floor crossing a betrayal.
“Mark Carney is trying to seize a costly Liberal majority government that Canadians voted against in the last election through dirty backroom deals,” Poilievre wrote on X. “Matt Jeneroux has betrayed the people of Edmonton Riverbend who voted for affordable food and homes, safe streets, and a strong resource sector.
“Conservatives will continue our fight for a Canada that’s affordable, safe, and self-reliant.”
Once one seat away from a majority government, Carney’s Liberals remain shy of that mark since losing MPs Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair to resignation, and last week’s Supreme Court ruling that overturned a Quebec riding won by the Liberals by a single vote.
Jeneroux, who has represented the Edmonton riding since 2015, announced he was stepping down in November — though he never specified when — following reports speculating about his political future.
At the time, Poilievre said Jeneroux planned to step down in the spring.
His decision to resign closely followed Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont’s move to leave the Conservative caucus and join the Liberals. Weeks later, Ontario MP Michael Ma announced he was flipping from the Cons to the Libs.
In a statement Wednesday, Jeneroux explained he changed his mind after “further reflection” with his family and “conversations with colleagues and constituents.”
“As I wrote to constituents in Edmonton Riverbend late last fall about my service in Parliament, I recalled how I ran in the last election because I believed that Canada stands at a turning point,” Jeneroux wrote.
“The events of the past year, and even of recent weeks, have presented Canada with unprecedented new global pressures on our prosperity, and accelerated threats to our sovereignty and unity. Like so many families across Canada, over the holidays and since, my family has had several conversations around the kitchen table about how we can best be there for each other and stand up for the country that we all love, and to which we all belong.
“Those conversations have been honest, difficult, and deeply personal at times. But they also led me to reflect on the gravity of the moment that our country is living through — which our Prime Minister addressed head on in his speech at Davos. For Canada, this is a moment that demands steady leadership, constructive collaboration between all Parliamentarians, and a willingness to stand up and serve even when the path is not easy.”
