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Canada: Conservative MP Amarjeet Gill rejects Liberal offer to defect
The Liberal Party seeks to gain a majority in the House of Commons, approaching opposition MPs, but faces rejections from some, including Amarjeet Gill.
Just short of a majority in the House of Commons, the ruling Liberal Party continues to woo opposition MPs including an Indo-Canadian who rebuffed the overture.
The ruling party currently has 170 seats in the House as against 142 for the principal opposition Conservatives. Two Conservative MPs defected to the ruling party late last year, including Greater Toronto Area MP Michael Ma who accompanied Prime Minister Mark Carney on his recent bilateral visit to China.
The ruling has continued to reach out to more opposition MPs so as to secure a majority. Among them is Amarjeet Gill, who represents the riding of Brampton West in the House.
In a social media post, Gill said, “Over the past few weeks, I have been approached by the Liberals and encouraged to cross the floor. I have firmly rejected their offer.”
Gill was elected to the House for the first time in the April 2025 Federal election, and the result gained attention as he defeated sitting Cabinet Minister Kamal Khera.
Gill, who is originally from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, isn’t the only MP to reject ruling party’s effort this month. Another Conservative MP Scott Anderson, who represents Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee in British Columbia, also went public on the matter earlier in January, as he went public with the poaching attempts. In a criticism of the Government, he stated, “It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I even consider betraying my constituents, and you should probably stop asking because I will certainly advertise it every time you try.”
The ruling party edged up to 171 before former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation from Parliament on January 9. However, whenever the by-election is held for her seat, University-Rosedale in Toronto, the Liberals are expected to easily retain it.
There has been speculation in Canadian media that two other Cabinet Ministers may resign to take up other assignments, though they also represent Liberal strongholds.
The average span of a minority Government is 18 months and Carney’s party is attempting to prevent mid-term polls by creating a majority through defections.
In early November, Chris d’Entremont, then the lone Conservative MP from the province of Nova Scotia, joined the Government ranks in the House. He placed the onus of his defection on Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, as he said, “In the last number of months, I wasn’t feeling I was aligned with the ideals of what the leader of the Opposition had been talking about.”
At the time, d’Entremont also indicated there were other Conservative MPs that may join him. Ma did so in December putting pressure on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre ahead of a leadership review at the party convention in Calgary later this month. The Conservatives suffered a setback in the Federal election after months of having double digit leads of the ruling party. Poilievre is expected to survive the review but will face the challenge of keeping his flock intact in the months ahead.
