Local MP claims Liberals tried to recruit her to cross floor

One of Waterloo Region’s Conservative members of parliament claims the governing Liberal Party of Canada tried to convince her to cross the floor.

Kitchener Centre MP, Kelly DeRidder, believes she was the target of a pressure campaign by the Liberals — pressure she resisted.

The allegations came about a month after the Liberals and Prime Minister Mark Carney secured a majority.

DeRidder told 570 NewsRadio it was around that same time, just prior to the House of Commons new session, that she got a phone call.

“I personally found it quite tactical. It started with fear, with telling me, ‘I feel obligated to tell you, in the next election, we’re going to put someone in who’s supported by both the Liberals and the Greens so, you don’t really stand a chance as a Conservative in the next election.’ So, I said ‘Okay.'”

DeRidder said when that didn’t work, they turned to flattery. She said they complimented her work on the science and research committee. They told her that her feelings about artificial intelligence align better with the Liberal Party, and she could accomplish more as a Liberal member of parliament.

She said eventually, she had to end the conversation.

“I just don’t think this conversation needs to go any further. I can unequivocally tell you that I will not ever cross the floor. I could never do that to the people who put their trust in me and sent me to Ottawa.”

She said the person she spoke to agreed not to bring up the topic again unless facilitated by DeRidder.

When asked if the person she spoke to was a fellow parliamentarian or a staffer, DeRidder wouldn’t specify.

“At the end of the day, I have a working relationship with a lot of the members of the Liberal Party, and I want to keep it that way. So, I’m choosing to share my story, but I’m also choosing to not dive into who it was, because I want to maintain a working relationship.”

DeRidder went on to say that she believes the individual who spoke to her was acting on orders from above.

“It’s my opinion, I do believe this was a leader-driven initiative. It may not have been Mark (Carney), calling himself but I do think the caucus members have been told to recruit as many individuals as you can.”

In the end, DeRidder believes transparency is best way to move forward.

“I think that the government really needs to focus on transparency and accountability and working with the opposition to maintain a level of representation across the country.”