In a post-Trump political scenario, Mark Carney will need to build his bona fides on the left. Liberal Marilyn Gladu will make that harder.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on April 20, 2026.
OTTAWA—Marilyn Gladu’s gift to the Liberal Party may turn out to be a Trojan horse.
It moved the dial one seat closer to a majority for the government, but the crossover was not essential to the equation.
Four previous floor-crossers over the past several months did not evoke the privately negative response of some Liberals in the way that Gladu’s did earlier this month.
Previous floor-crossers were on the moderate side of their parties, so the only controversy was floor-crossing itself.
When floor-crossers are moving in the wrong direction, the political party experiencing divorce is vocal in its demand to outlaw the practice.
But when the parliamentarians are choosing to join a party, most are welcomed with open arms.
Such was not the case with Gladu.
Liberal circles were abuzz with questions about whether the Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong MP’s arrival was a good thing or a bad thing for the party.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is riding a political high. Some of his support is coming from former Conservatives who like his economic prowess and international experience.
By watering down the Liberals’ perceived environmental agenda, Carney has less fulsome praise from those on the party’s left.
And with Gladu now on Team Liberal, the New Democrats were quick to trot her out as the reason why the government cannot be trusted on issues of social justice and equality.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis attacked the coherence of the Liberals for accepting her. “She ran for the leadership of the Conservative party six years ago on an anti-abortion platform, opposing conversion therapy, a stance many viewed as blatantly homophobic,” he told a media scrum.
Pro-conversion therapy and opposition to abortion were two major planks in her platform when she ran in the Conservative leadership against Pierre Poilievre.
But while some Liberals may have been quietly raising their eyebrows, the prime minister was quick to point out that Gladu promised to support the government on major social questions.
His team was successfully spinning the notion that this floor-crossing was an example of “big-tent politics” hearkening back to the days of then-prime minister Jean Chrétien when there was a significant Liberal caucus rump opposed to abortion and gay marriage.
But that was then, and this is now.
The abortion question was settled in a court judgment almost 40 years ago. And the degree of unanimity on gay rights today is literally a complete sea change from that time.
Gladu would have been happily welcomed into the Liberal government in 1993 because she would join at least a dozen members who shared her viewpoint.
Such is not the case today, so she is going to be a very lonely soldier.
Carney focused on Gladu’s business experience as an engineer when he introduced her as the newest Liberal caucus member.
If she is put to work on projects that can use her economic skills, that may be enough to keep her happy.
But if she is not happy, that can come with its own challenges.
Now that the Liberals have secured a majority government, it will be much more difficult to exercise caucus discipline and keep everyone singing from the same hymnbook.
The prime minister’s popularity was underscored with the size of his byelection victory in Terrebonne, Que., on April 13. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet visited the BQ stronghold nine times during the campaign, but was not able to defeat the triple crown Grit juggernaut that ushered three new women into Parliament last week.
That popularity will continue at least until the American midterms when the presidential threat may be neutered.
Without Donald Trump as a foil, Carney will have to deliver on the economic U-turn that he is attempting to orchestrate away from dependence on America.
If Carney’s popularity wanes, he will need a strong left wing to carry him over into the next election.
At the moment, he doesn’t need anybody. His own vision and unique, apolitical charm are doing it for him.
But when the tide turns, he will need to strengthen both wings of the party.
Proportional representation was a popular item with some on the left. That was killed at the convention.
Former cabinet minister and fellow leadership candidate Karina Gould was excluded from Carney’s first cabinet. That should change. At the convention, Gould once again proved what an able communicator she is.
If Liberals want a winning team, Gladu should not be front and centre.
In a post-Trump political scenario, Carney will need to build his bona fides on the left.
Liberal Gladu will make that harder.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.