MONTREAL — High-profile progressive Liberal MPs attending the party’s national convention in Montreal on Friday welcomed and defended former Conservatives who have crossed the floor to their caucus.
Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault said while he and many of his colleagues were “surprised” when MP Marilyn Gladu quit the Conservatives to join his party, he’s confident she stands by his party’s values.
“As long as people who come (into) the Liberal party understand what they’re coming into — and if you join a political party, you should know what you’re signing up for — she knows exactly where we stand on things like pro-choice,” Guilbeault told reporters in the convention hall.
“We’ve been pro-choice for a very long time.”
On Wednesday, Gladu became the fifth opposition MP and fourth member of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s caucus to cross the floor to the Liberals.
The move surprised many Liberals and Tories familiar with her reputation as a staunch Conservative.
When reporters asked whether the addition of Gladu could undercut Prime Minister Mark Carney and the party’s values or credibility, Guilbeault quickly dismissed the notion.
“Oh trust me, I’ve heard her scream at me on number of occasions on things like climate change,” he said. “Well, she’s now joining a party who believes that climate is an issue and is still putting in place measures to fight climate change.”
He acknowledged the party has shifted direction under Carney’s leadership but said the Liberals remain a progressive party.
Liberal MP Karina Gould said she assumes Gladu understands where the party stands on core issues.
“I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt that she understands the values of the Liberal party and has decided to join the party because she either shares those values now, or at the very least respects those values and the rights that Canadians and Liberal members have fought so hard for over the years,” she said.
Gould said progressive MPs like herself still have a home in the Liberal party and she personally feels her views are respected by its leadership.
“We’ve always had people who are a little bit more to the right, a little bit more to the left, and that’s always been the beauty of the party,” she said.
Quebec MP Nathalie Provost told reporters her party is larger than just a few people.
“It’s not just one person — or four — that will change a party,” Provost said. “It’s values, the way you see life. We are the party of the Charter (of Rights and Freedoms).”
Carney did not talk to reporters on Friday, though he did grant an online content creator an interview in the convention hallway. The day before, he told reporters all Liberal MPs must defend party values, such as abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights.
When Gladu ran for the Conservative leadership in 2020, she said she would allow party members to introduce bills to restrict abortion.
In 2021, she was criticized for voting against a Liberal bill that banned conversion therapy. Shortly after, she issued a statement saying she “vehemently” opposes conversion therapy and supports the LGBTQ+ community.
Gladu held a short scrum late Thursday to explain her choice to Canadians. She vowed to defend the values Liberals hold dear.
“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,” Gladu said.
“For people in Canada, I have been consistent when I said that women need to have the right to choose. I obviously have my long faith traditions, but I’m ready to support the rights of women in this country.”
Addressing the convention floor, she credited Carney with building a “big-tent coalition.” She said she has spoken with constituents — even some Conservatives — who liked what they heard from Carney during the election.
Gladu told the Sarnia Observer she was not offered anything to join the Liberals, though she suggested she will now have a better chance of attracting government funds and programming to her riding.
Gladu’s defection, which followed three others from the Conservatives and one from the NDP, leaves the government just one seat shy of a majority ahead of three byelections on Monday.
Several other recent Liberal converts addressed the party’s main convention floor on Friday.
Former Conservative Matt Jeneroux said hearing the prime minister speak about the changing geopolitical climate before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January led to his change of heart.
Former Tory MP Chris D’Entremont joked he’s still trying to decide whether to introduce himself to his fellow Liberals as a “recovering Conservative,” or as someone who was a Liberal all along and didn’t know it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2026.
— With files from Vicky Fragasso-Marquis and Alessia Passafiume
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
