Marilyn Gladu backed petition this year for automatic byelections when MPs cross the floor
Three months before Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu crossed the floor to the Liberals, she backed a call for an automatic byelection when an MP defects.
Gladu said she decided to join the Liberals because she has “heard clearly from constituents that (they) want serious leadership,” in a statement released today . But in January the Ontario MP who has represented Sarnia—Lambton–Bkejwanong since 2015, backed a petition calling for “immediate accountability” for voters.
The December 18, 2025 petition was sponsored by Middlesex-London Conservative MP, Lianne Rood, reported Lambton County, Ontario publication, The Independen t.
The petition closes for signatures midday, April 17. As of the time of publishing, it had 64,693 signatures.
It states “MPs are elected to represent their constituents under a party banner, but unrestricted floor-crossing can erode voter trust amid rising political corruption and scandals.”
It also states that recent Conservative MP floor crossings are “raising concerns of opportunism over principle” especially when a switch “potentially alter(s) Parliament’s balance without endorsement.”
Instead, it advocates for allowing MPs to sit as independents. Meanwhile it says “joining another party should require voter confirmation.”
Proud to be the newest member of our new Liberal Government. pic.twitter.com/BasWlMG8TI
— Marilyn Gladu (@MarilynGladuSL) April 8, 2026
Prior to Christmas, two Conservative MPs Chris d’Entremont and Michael Ma crossed from the Conservative to the Liberal benches. With another Conservative defection, Matt Jeneroux, in February and a March floor crossing from the NDP, Lori Idlout, Gladu’s addition to the Liberal caucus adds up to 171 for the Liberal ranks, just one seat shy of a majority.
Gladu told The Independent in January that she agreed that a byelection should be called if someone leaves their party to go to another. She also said she could also see holding a byelection when an MPs becomes an independent.
“Really, the whole point of being an MP is to represent your constituents. So, if they’re voting you in under one platform, for you to switch for whatever reasons, just seems to me to not be representing what you’re supposed to be there to represent,” she said.
“We elected you under this banner, and if you don’t want to be under that banner, then we deserve a chance to have a redo.”
However, Gladu also said clear action will not come from the petition alone. Instead, its usefulness lies in helping MP craft private members bills to achieve the goal.
The petition is in line with a majority (62 per cent) of Canadians that believe MPs should not be allowed to switch political parties after being elected to the House of Commons.
An Ipsos poll conducted in February showed that 62 per cent of Canadians would want an immediate byelection. Only 41 per cent agreed that they’d be comfortable with their own MP switching to a different party, led by those aged 18-34 (47 per cent).
On Wednesday afternoon Conservative Party Whip, Chris Warkentin, called Gladu to account for her earlier advocacy for automatic byelections for floor-crossing MPS, suggesting she “show she has the courage of her convictions and resign her seat” to face an immediate byelection.
— Chris Warkentin (@chriswarkentin) April 8, 2026
Mark Carney is seizing a costly Liberal majority that voters denied him, and doing so through backroom deals.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 8, 2026
In January, MP Gladu said that floor crossers should face voters in a byelection to give voters the final say. I could not agree more.
She should do so. The people in…
A Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce lunch with Gladu at the Sarnia Riding Club has been rescheduled to May 20, according to a Tuesday Facebook post.
“ Our Lunch with MP Marilyn Gladu has been rescheduled to May 20, 2026. Join us for an engaging afternoon of networking, lunch, and Q&A with Marilyn Gladu at the Sarnia Riding Club ,” it states.
Attendees that intended to go at the earlier (unnamed) date will still have “valid” registration.
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