OTTAWA — Conservative Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux says he will resign his seat in the House of Commons after days of intense speculation that he would cross the floor to the governing Liberals.
In a letter obtained by National Post, Jeneroux said he informed Conservative Party MP Chris Warkentin on Thursday of his intention to resign from Parliament at an unspecified date.
“It was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one,” he wrote. He does not specify why he is suddenly resigning from Parliament, to which he was first elected in 2015.
The resignation means two Conservative MPs have announced their departure from caucus in dramatic fashion in three days, dealing a significant blow to party leader Pierre Poilievre less than three months before a leadership review.
It also comes at a pivotal moment for both the minority Liberals — who are trying to garner enough votes to pass the 2025 budget through the House of Commons — and Conservatives, who are trying to prevent further bleeding after former party member Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals on Tuesday.
Jeneroux was seriously considering switching ranks to the Liberals and even met with Prime Minister Mark Carney recently, multiple sources told National Post. They were granted anonymity to discuss internal discussions publicly.
Speculation about his future within the Conservative Party ramped on Wednesday after he was notably absent from both his party’s weekly caucus meeting and the House of Commons.
Wednesday afternoon, his office sent an unattributed statement denying he leaving the Conservatives.
“
Despite the rumours being circulated in Ottawa, MP Jeneroux is not crossing the floor
and remaining a member of the Conservative caucus
,” read the statement.
More to come.
National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com
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