IN-DEPTH: Why do MPs cross the floor?

Why do politicians cross the floor?To get to the other side.This question was recently posed by many Canadians who were stunned by the sudden floor crossing of MPs to the Liberal Party, leaving it now with a majority.So, why do politicians in Canada cross the floor — what are their motivations?This is something political science professor and researcher at the University of Alberta, Jared Wesley, and his colleagues, Alex Marland and Mireille Lalancette — as they try to discover in their book: No I in Team.To find out, before we have a look-see at what Wesley has to say — let's explore the history of floor crossing to understand the motivational context....In the year 1868, one man, the first Canadian MP, crossed the floor.As you know, crossing to get to the other side, Stewart Campbell went from the Anti-Confederation (AC) Party to the Liberal Conservative Party.Defecting from the party to which Canadians had elected him in, Campbell was pelted with eggs at "a social event," according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, in response to his departure.Campbell had joined Canada's first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, leaving behind his party, which opposed the Confederation of Canada.The AC Party was dissolving, and it was only natural for him and later others of the party in 1869, to cross over..Beyond Campbell, 15 other MPs crossed over from the abolished party.Eight others joined the Liberal Conservative Party.The name, was synonymous with the early Conservative party, a joint coalition party that was formed between the Conservatives and the Liberals and dissolved in 1867, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.Six others joined the emerging party for the modern Liberals, while one went solo, as one does, as an independent.This was a unique circumstance, as no other time in Canadian history did MPs shift from a party being dissolved due to Canada's formation as a nation. .The second most epic floor crossing incident in Canadian history occurred during the early 1990s to 2000s when the Liberals and their leader (and Prime Minister) Jean Chretien was in power.Chretien had become Prime Minister back in 1994, and was reelected again in 2000.It was during this time eight MPs switched to the Liberal party, with origins from a variety of parties, including the NDP, the Progressive Conservatives, and the Canadian Alliance.Unlike the current PM, Chretien did not need any floor crossers to make his party a majority, as it had already won one in the general elections. Reported by the Niagara Independent, most of the floor crossing happened around 2000, due to the Conservatives and Canadian Alliance parties splitting the vote. .Which brings us to the third highest number of floor crossing MPs during a PM's term, under the current PM, Mark Carney, with five floor crossers so far.What makes these floor crossings unique compared to the two previous ones, is they were used to create a majority — something never done before.The Liberals even used floor-crossing MPs to secure the deciding vote to end opposition scrutiny in House of Commons committees, according to a previous Blacklock's Reporter story showing a 173-163 vote in favour of the Liberals to secure majority control over committees. This vote was secured with the help of former NDP MP Lori Idlout, and former Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu. .It has become public knowledge that Liberals were using strategies like poaching in attempts to secure (sometimes successfully) opposition MPs, as admitted by Conservative MP for Edmonton-West Billy Morin.Never before, has a minority government tried to obtain a majority through floor-crossing tactics — until now. Although gaining a majority seems an obvious motivation given the recent events, what other reasons do politicians have for crossing the floor in Canada?Other reasons MPs may floor cross could be to "pursue specific courses of action (policy), acquiring and maintaining power (office), or seeking electoral support (votes)," Wesley wrote in his book. Some reasons are also not particularly rational, including being "driven by ego, they get into personality conflicts or they run afoul of party conventions of behaviour," leading them to exit their party.

IN-DEPTH: Why do MPs cross the floor?

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