Following a Greater Toronto Area Conservative MP's defection to the ruling Liberal Party on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is poised for a majority in the House of Commons.
On the final day of the autumn session, Michael Ma, who was originally elected to the House in April of this year from Markham-Unionville, sat in the Conservative benches of the House before announcing in the evening that he was changing parties. The Liberal Party made that announcement. "This is a time for unity and decisive action for Canada's future," said Ma.

He continued, "In that spirit, I have concluded that Prime Minister Mark Carney is offering the steady, practical approach we need to deliver on the priorities I hear every day while knocking on doors in Markham–Unionville." With his departure, the Liberal number in the 543-member House rose to 171, just one vote short of the majority.
Carney greeted Ma on stage at the Liberals' holiday celebration in Ottawa on Thursday after she attended the Conservative caucus' Christmas party on Wednesday.

In the past two months, he is the second Conservative MP to leave. Chris d'Entremont, the only Conservative MP from Nova Scotia at the time, joined the government in the House at the beginning of November. "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," he stated, placing the blame for his defection on Pierre Poilievre, the head of the Conservative Party.
D'Entremont also hinted at the possibility of more Conservative MPs joining him at the time. Matt Jeneroux, another Conservative MP, announced his retirement from the House a day later.

On November 17, Jeneroux did not participate in the budget vote. Similar to a motion of confidence, the Carney government won that vote by a mere two votes, with two MPs from the New Democratic Party abstaining and one Conservative missing due to illness.
After leading the Liberals in polls for months, Ma's exit from the Conservative caucus puts more pressure on Poilievre ahead of a leadership review in January. Poilievre led his party to a surprise defeat in the April Federal election.58% of people surveyed "believe Poilievre should be replaced as leader, outnumbering the one-quarter (26%) who believe he should stay on until the next election," according to a new study published on Thursday by the nonprofit public policy polling organisation Angus Reid Institute, or ARI.
It also stated that 63% of centrist respondents thought Poilievre should be replaced as leader and nearly two-thirds, or 64%, had "an unfavourable view of Poilievre."
Even while 58% of recent Conservative voters supported Poilievre's continued leadership, that percentage had dropped by 10% since August.

According to a new report released on Thursday by the nonprofit public policy polling firm Angus Reid Institute, or ARI, 58% of respondents "believe Poilievre should be replaced as leader, outnumbering the one-quarter (26%) who believe he should stay on until the next election."
Additionally, it said that nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of centrist respondents had "an unfavourable view of Poilievre" and 63% believed Poilievre should be replaced as leader.
Poilievre's ongoing leadership was supported by 58% of recent Conservative voters, however that number had decreased by 10% since August.