List of Canadian politicians who have switched parties

This is a list of Canadian politicians who have switched parties while in office or out.

MPs are Members of Parliament of Canada MPPs are Members of Provincial Parliament of Ontario MNAs are Members of the National Assembly of Quebec MHAs are Members of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador MLAs are Members of the Legislative Assembly of other provinces

Conservative Party

This list includes members of the Progressive Conservative Party and its predecessor parties, the Canadian Alliance and the modern Conservative Party. This list also includes members of provincial and territorial conservative parties and all other conservative-minded parties in Canada, including the Coalition Avenir Québec.

Conservative to Liberal Eve Adams – Conservative MP for Mississauga—Brampton South joined the Liberals on February 9, 2015, after conflicts over her attempts to be nominated as a Conservative left her without a riding to stand in for the next federal election. Dominique Anglade – former CAQ party president and later leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. Pierre-Michel Auger – elected as Action démocratique du Québec MNA, crossed over to Quebec Liberal Party in 2008. Leo Barry – Newfoundland Progressive Conservative MHA in the 1970s and 1980s, Energy Minister under Frank Moores and Brian Peckford, crossed the floor to join the Newfoundland Liberal Party in 1984, served as Liberal leader from 1985 until 1987. Ken Boshcoff – Liberal MP for the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River from 2004 to 2008, stood as a PC candidate in the 1984 and 1988 general elections. Lise Bourgault – PC MP in the 1980s ran for the Liberals in the 2000 election. Scott Brison – First openly gay Progressive Conservative MP, Kings Hants 1997–1998, (gave up seat for then-leader Joe Clark to run), 2000–2003. He ran for the PC leadership in June 2003, coming in 3rd. He quit the new Conservatives in late 2003 over their socially conservative wing agenda, saying "...while they figure out ways to privatize the sidewalk." Gary Carr – Ontario PC MPP Oakville 1995–2003 / Liberal MP Halton 2004–2006; This former NHL hockey player and former Speaker of the House for the Ontario Legislature publicly rebuffed and quit the Tories over the lack of integrity and waste caused by the Harris/Eves governments. Jean Charest – Federal Progressive Conservative leader 1994–1998, left the federal PC for the Liberal Party of Quebec then became Premier of Quebec under that banner (2003–2012) Chris d'Entremont – Conservative MP for Acadie—Annapolis joined the Liberals on November 4, 2025, in support of Mark Carney's government. Becky Druhan – MLA for Lunenburg West joined the Nova Scotia Liberal Party after having previously resigned from the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia caucus. Ron Evans – Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, ran for the Manitoba PCs in 1999, later switched to the Liberals in 2000, ran as the Liberal candidate for Churchill in 2004. Marilyn Gladu – Conservative MP for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong joined the Liberals on April 8, 2026, to support the Carney government. John Herron – PC MP for New Brunswick, quit the newly merged Conservatives, to run for the Liberals and subsequently lost to the Conservative candidate. Jack Horner – PC MP, switched to Liberals in 1977. Matt Jeneroux – Conservative MP for Edmonton Riverbend, joined the Liberals on February 18, 2026, to support Mark Carney's government. David Kilgour – former PC MP from Alberta, switched to the Liberals in the early 1990s over the Brian Mulroney government introducing the GST. Paul Lane – PC MHA who joined the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberals in 2014. Later became an independent. Ricardo Lopez – former PC MP and Canadian Alliance candidate, nominated for the federal Liberals in 2008 but stepped down. Michael Ma – Conservative MP for Markham—Unionville joined the Liberals on December 11, 2025, in support of Mark Carney's government. Nancy MacBeth – former Alberta PC MLA, came in second for the Alberta PC leadership in 1990 to Ralph Klein. Later quit the PCs and became the leader of the Alberta Liberals. Keith Martin – Reform/Alliance MP, left the new Conservatives soon after they formed to become a Liberal. Bill Matthews – PC MP elected in 1997. Switched to Liberals in 1999, but consequently lost the liberal nomination for the riding. Ran in another riding. Hubert Meilleur – former president of the ADQ, ran for the PLQ in 2007 and 2008. Charles Milliard – elected leader of the Quebec Liberal Party in 2026, was formerly a federal PC party member in his youth. Claude Morin – former ADQ MNA, ran for the federal Liberals in the 2011 election. Bruce Northrup – New Brunswick Progressive Conservative MLA for Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins from 2006 until a temporary retirement in 2020. Returned in the 2024 general election to run for the Liberal party. Bridget Pastoor – Alberta Liberal MLA elected in 2004, had previously supported the Tories under Lougheed. Joe Peschisolido – Ran for Alliance in 1997 in Etobicoke North. Alliance MP Richmond BC 2000–2002, joined the Liberals 28 January 2002. He lost the 2004 nomination to the person he had previously beaten, Raymond Chan. Andre Riedl – elected as Action démocratique du Québec MNA, crossed over to Quebec Liberal Party in 2008. Amanda Simard – MPP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell (2018–2022), left the PC party to become an independent after disagreeing on policies relating to Franco-Ontarians in 2018. She then joined the Liberals in 2020. Belinda Stronach – Conservative Leadership candidate and MP elect in 2004, switched to the Liberals in 2005 in exchange for a cabinet position. Garth Turner – former PC/Conservative MP, switched to the Liberal Party after being kicked out of the Conservative Party. Jack Volrich – Federal PC candidate in 1984, organized for the Liberals in 1993. Mark Warner – former Conservative candidate for Toronto Centre, he was removed by Stephen Harper. He later endorsed Liberal candidate Bob Rae. Marianne Wilkinson – former head of the Progressive Conservatives Women's Council and former mayor of Kanata, Ontario Liberal candidate for Lanark-Carleton in the 2003 election.

Conservative to New Democratic This list also includes politicians who switched from Conservative parties to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

Amelia Boultbee – MLA for Penticton-Summerland joined the British Columbia New Democratic Party after having previously resigned from the Conservative Party of British Columbia caucus. John Edzerza – Yukon Party MLA 2002–2006, switched to the Yukon NDP in 2006 and ran as their candidate. David MacDonald – United Church Minister, PC MP Prince/Egmont 1965–1980, Rosedale 1988–1993. Ran for NDP in Toronto-Centre Rosedale in the 1997 federal election. Donald C. MacDonald – a Conservative Party supporter in his youth, switched to the CCF in the 1930s as a result of the Great Depression and became a CCF organizer, candidate, and Ontario CCF/NDP leader in the 1950s and 1960s and remained an MPP until the 1980s. Dr. Hinrich Bitter-Suermann – Liver transplant surgeon, born in 1940 in Berlin, Germany. Resided in Chester Basin, N.S. since 1982. Elected as a Progressive Conservative MLA in Chester- St. Margarets in 1998, but disagreed with the party's decision to support the Liberal budget and crossed the floor to join the NDP. He ran for Nova Scotia NDP leadership in 2000. He lost to the PC candidate in the 1999 Nova Scotia election, and again by approximately 200 votes in 2003. Robert Toupin – Quebec PC MP for Terrebonne, switched to NDP in 1986, then to Independent in 1987. Sandra Jansen – Alberta Progressive Conservative Party MLA, switched to NDP in 2016. Rafe Mair – former BC Socred MLA, later supported the BC Greens, supported the BC NDP in 2009.

Conservative to Green Jim Harris – Leader of the Green Party of Canada (2003–2006). A former Progressive Conservative member in the early 1980s. Douglas Roche – former PC MP and Senator, endorsed the Green Party in the 2008 federal election. David Scrymgeour – former (and first) Executive Director of the Conservative Party of Canada. Served as campaign director for Jim Flaherty's Ontario PC leadership bid before switching to the Green Party.Vancouver Sun, 20 August 2004December 2005 Archives – mike watkins dot ca

Conservative to Bloc/Parti Québécois Rodrigue Biron - Union Nationale leader, elected as a PQ MNA, later ran for the BQ. Lucien Bouchard – Quebec Premier 1996–2001 / PC MP under the Mulroney government, elected in 1988, then created the federal version of the Parti Québécois, the Bloc Québécois, leader of the Bloc to 1996, before becoming Premier of Quebec. Gilbert Chartrand – Tory MP for Verdun—Saint-Paul from 1984, left the PCs in 1990 to serve as an independent and then joined the BQ when it was founded, rejoined the Progressive Conservatives in 1991, retired in 1993. Antonio Flamand – Union Nationale MNA, later ran for PQ. François Gérin – PC MP elected for Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead in 1984. Left the PCs in 1990 to become an Independent and then a founding member of the BQ. Retired in 1993. Nic LeBlanc – PC MP 1984–1992 for Longueuil and then became a Bloc MP 1992–1997. Later ran for the Canadian Alliance in 2000 and the Conservatives in 2004. Marcel Masse – former PC cabinet minister, joined PQ in the 1990s and served in several provincial cabinet positions. Louis Plamondon – PC MP Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour from 1984 until 1990. Left PCs with Bouchard to become an Independent and then a founding member of the BQ. Re-elected as BQ in 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011. Jérôme Proulx – Union Nationale MNA, later ran for PQ. Benoît Tremblay – PC MP for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie elected in 1988. Left PCs with Bouchard after the failure of Meech Lake to sit as Independent. Founding member of the BQ. Re-elected in 1993, retired in 1997. Pierrette Venne – PC MP Saint Hubert 1988–1991, BQ 1991–2004.

Conservative to other/none This list also includes politicians who switched from one conservative party to another. During the merger of Alberta's PC and Wildrose parties, multiple MLAs switched parties to join the newly-formed UCP. Other examples of this are when almost all Alliance and Reform MPs joined to form the modern federal Conservatives.

Rick Borotsik – Manitoba PC MP from 1997 to 2004 for Brandon, quit the new merged Conservatives over Harper's right-wing views. He later became a Manitoba PC MLA. Kim Campbell – former Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Progressive Conservatives. Did not join the merged Conservative Party. Joe Clark – former Prime Minister of Canada and two-time leader of the Progressive Conservatives. Did not join the merged Conservative Party. Richard Holden – Ran as a PC candidate in the 1979 federal election, elected as an MNA for the Equality Party, crossed the floor to join the Parti Québécois. Flora MacDonald – former "Red Tory" PC MP, leadership candidate and cabinet minister. MacDonald voted for the New Democrats in the 2004 election. Rob Anderson – Alberta MLA, crossed the floor from Alberta PCs to Wildrose Alliance in 2010. Joe Anglin MLA (Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre) quit the Wildrose Alliance caucus to sit as an Independent MLA on November 3, 2014, stating that he had found out he was about to be expelled due to his public criticisms of the party leader's advisers. In January 2015, he announced that he will be seeking the Progressive Conservative nomination in his riding; the nomination meeting is to be held February 21, 2015. Updated refer to http://www.landownersagainstbills.com/D%20Edmonton%20Journal_D%20Henton%20re%20Joe%20Anglin_Dec%202007.pdf versus. Maxime Bernier – MP for Beauce (2006–2019), left the Conservatives to create the People's Party of Canada in 2018, lost re-election as MP for Beauce in 2019. Jan Brown – Reform MP for Calgary Southeast. Jan Brown became a PC in June 1997.