Toronto: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's ruling Liberal Party has gained the upper hand in the House of Commons after another Conservative MP defected on Wednesday.
Fourth-term MP Marilyn Gladu, who represented the Ontario riding of Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong as a Conservative for a decade, announced she was joining the Liberal benches.
In a statement, she said, "Today, there is both the opportunity — and the responsibility — to build our country's strength and success with a more constructive, collaborative approach."
Gladu is the fifth opposition MP, four Conservatives and one from the New Democratic Party, to have switched to the Liberal camp since November last year.
The Liberals now have 171 MPs in the House, against 169 for the combined opposition.
However, if all 543 seats are filled in the chamber, the majority mark is 172 and the Liberals are expected to clinch that next week as three by-elections are held.
Carney welcomed Gladu to his party and later posted on X, "Having spent decades of her career in engineering and international business, she understands what it takes to create good jobs, strengthen supply chains, and ensure Canadian industry can compete in a rapidly changing global economy."
While the previous four MPs to defect represented seats that were always in the balance, Gladu's riding was always considered a Conservative stronghold.
What also makes her the most unusual defector to the Liberal ranks are her social conservative views.
