Small group of Conservatives frustrated with Poilievre: government House leader

OTTAWA — Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says there are more Conservatives who are “frustrated” with the political direction being taken by their party.

MacKinnon answered questions from reporters this morning, the day after Michael Ma left the Conservatives to join the Liberal caucus.

The Liberals issued a press release Thursday evening announcing Ma’s surprise departure from the Conservative caucus, just one day after he’d attended the Conservative Christmas party and posed for a photo alongside leader Pierre Poilievre.

The move puts the Liberals one seat shy of a majority government, after Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont also defected from the Conservative ranks last month.

MacKinnon says he won’t speculate on whether the Liberals will court more MPs to cross the floor to secure a majority government.

But says he is hearing from a small group of Conservatives who recognize the need for “serious solutions” as Canada faces down a U.S. trade war and geopolitical shifts.

Poilievre said on social media Thursday night Ma was elected to oppose the Liberal policies he is now endorsing and will have to answer to his constituents.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press