INSIDE POLITICS: Conservative MP ‘stabs Poilievre in the back’ — Carney now one seat from power

Mark Carney just got one step closer to the kind of power Canadians didn’t vote for — and the Conservatives are furious.

On this episode of Inside Politics, Winnipeg Sun columnist Kevin Klein sat down with political scientist Royce Koop and lawyer Lawrence Pinsky, KC, to tear into the latest Ottawa bombshell: another Conservative MP has crossed the floor to join the Liberals, pushing Carney to within one seat of a majority.

And the timing? So bad it feels like satire.

Koop pointed out the political optics were brutal: the MP attended the Conservative Christmas party, posed for photos with Pierre Poilievre… and hours later showed up as part of the Liberal team. Klein zeroed in on the detail lighting up social media: the MP was wearing a red tie — a small splash of colour now being treated like a giant warning sign.

But behind the fashion jokes was real anger. Koop called the move “pure opportunism,” warning it deepens public cynicism and makes politics look like a game for insiders. “At least explain it,” was the blunt message. Instead, Canadians got what the panel described as a flimsy, pre-packaged statement that raised more questions than answers.

Pinsky didn’t mince words: “Look, Ma — no ethics.” He argued the floor-crossing reeks of betrayal because voters didn’t elect a Liberal — they elected a Conservative. He floated the idea that donors and volunteers who helped put the MP in office deserve accountability, and he pushed the broader point: crossing the floor may be legal, but that doesn’t make it morally defensible.

Klein revived an idea gaining steam with fed-up voters: make floor-crossing trigger an automatic byelection. If MPs want to switch teams, fine — but they should have to face the voters again. Koop admitted he’s coming around to that view, especially when the switch happens just months after an election and without a credible explanation.

The bigger fear? Carney inching toward a “majority” built through poaching — not ballots. Koop warned a razor-thin majority isn’t stable anyway: MPs get sick, resign, or leave. But the optics of a prime minister trying to “flip the switch” without an election could deepen national resentment at a time when unity already feels fragile.

Bottom line from the panel: Canadians deserve answers — not choreography.