Thoughts on BC Politics and More

In the days since former Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to join the Liberal government, there has been a robust discussion around the role of “Red Tories” in the modern Conservative party and movement more broadly. D’Entremont claimed that he is a Red Tory and this was part of why he decided to cross the floor. These discussions are missing the forest for the trees. In fact, thinking about these debates along these lines is a tell. Anyone framing debates like this is probably old enough to remember and have perhaps participated in the old parties, and has never escaped this thinking. This isn’t Reds vs. Blues. It’s Young vs. Old. The specific complaints from people like d’Entremont and other grumbling voices are less about ideology and more the tone and style of Pierre Poilievre (though perhaps the two are connected) ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont surprised many on Tuesday when he left the Conservative caucus to join the Liberals, bringing the government caucus to within two votes of a majority. While switching parties between elections — a practice known as floor crossing referring to physically crossing the floor of the House of Commons to sit with a different caucus — is a controversial practice. More than 300 members of Parliament have changed parties while in office since 1867. The first known MP to cross the floor was Stewart Campbell, a Nova Scotian who, in 1868, left the Anti-Confederates for the Liberal-Conservatives under Sir John A. Macdonald. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography says Campbell was later pelted with eggs at a “social occasion”  ... CLICK HERE for the full story