NDP's Davies says Idlout's decision to join Liberals overrides 'sacred trust' of ballot box

meanwhile NDP Leader father Davies said undercoat government minister deutschmark Carney was working to overrule the wishes of voters in the pursuit of a majority in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

In a short scrum with journalists after Nunavut MP Lori Idlout quit his party, Davies said Canadians still need the NDP to fight for them — and that MPs crossing the floor undermines the democratic process.

"To us the decision of voters at the ballot box is a sacred trust. And if a member of Parliament wants to override that decision, we believe they must go back to the voters and make that case to them," he said.

In an attempt to get out in front of the defection, Davies issued a statement on Tuesday evening breaking the news of Idlout joining the governing Liberals saying he was "very disappointed" with the decision.

NDP calls Idlout's defection to Liberals undemocratic as caucus shrinks to 6

Davies, whose caucus is now down to just six MPs, avoided questions on what, if anything, may have driven Idlout's decision to leave and what her departure means for the party going forward. 

"To us, whether or not there is a majority government is fundamentally a decision of the Canadian people at the ballot box and it should happen that way, not through backroom deals, cut behind closed doors in Ottawa," he said.

With Idlout's defection the Liberals now have 170 seats, two short of a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons, but three byelections on April 13 could see that reality soon change.

In Canada's Westminster parliamentary system, Canadians do not directly vote for a majority or minority government. Electors cast their votes for people in 343 individual local elections.

Ultimately, it is the winners of those ridings who then decide who gets to govern. When one party has more than half of the seats in the House of Commons, it's typically called a majority government. When the governing party has fewer than half the seats, it's a minority government.

There is nothing in the system that prevents an elected individual from joining another party, or sitting as an Independent, regardless of how that impacts a minority or majority in the House.  

Four of the five other remaining NDP MPs stood around Davies. They expressed disappointment but differed to their interim leader to provide most of the reaction to Idlout's decision.

Asked what the defection will do for morale, NDP MP Jenny Kwan said that her party and caucus "will carry on and the NDP will fight on."

Leah Gazan described it as a "disappointment" but would not comment further. 

Carney showed up at his weekly caucus meeting with Idlout by his side wearing a broad smile. He told gathered reporters on Parliament Hill that the former New Democrat is "one of the greatest constituency MPs" and has ably represented Nunavut.

Idlout said there wasn't one factor that pushed her to cross the floor, saying only that it was a complicated issue. 

"A variety of things have allowed me to really reflect on this and I'm thankful to be so warmly welcomed," she said.

In January, Idlout said she had "been asked to consider" joining the Liberals but said that she could not do so "at this point." 

Senior writer

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