OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says any MP who joins his caucus must adhere to Liberal values, including support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu left the Conservative caucus to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals on Wednesday, putting the government just one seat shy of a majority ahead of three byelections next week.

Gladu is the fifth opposition MP to join the Liberals since November, and the fourth from the Conservative caucus.

But Gladu’s past comments and positions as a member of Parliament have raised questions about just how big the Liberal tent has become.

In 2021, she apologized for sharing “misinformation” about COVID-19 and vaccines during an interview with CTV News, and in 2020 said she would allow Conservative party members to introduce bills to restrict abortion.

Carney says there has been “no change” in the Liberal party’s values, that the party “always will support the right of women to choose” and that Gladu offers expertise and new perspectives at a crucial time for the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

— With files from Sarah Ritchie

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press