{"id":7338,"date":"2025-11-07T08:30:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/chris-dentremont-self-described-red-tory-joined-the-liberals-because-he-had-enough-of-the-negativity\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T08:30:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:30:03","slug":"chris-dentremont-self-described-red-tory-joined-the-liberals-because-he-had-enough-of-the-negativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/chris-dentremont-self-described-red-tory-joined-the-liberals-because-he-had-enough-of-the-negativity\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris d\u2019Entremont, self-described \u2018Red Tory\u2019, joined the Liberals because he \u2018had enough of the negativity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Narrowly-elected MP says to constituents: \u2018I hope I will be able to prove to them that this was the right decision\u2019Published Nov 06, 2025Last updated 3hours ago9 minute readAcadie-Annapolis MP Chris d\u2019Entremont hands out Canada flags during 2025 Canada Day festivities on Yarmouth\u2019s waterfront. TINA COMEAUArticle contentWhen Chris d\u2019Entremont woke up the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 4 \u2013 on federal budget day \u2013 the then-Conservative MP still didn\u2019t know if he would be crossing the floor to join the governing Liberals.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentBut for a couple of months, the thought had been weighing heavily on his mind.Article contentArticle contentAnd while on that morning most Canadians had never heard of Chris d\u2019Entremont, let alone be able to find the Acadie-Annapolis riding on a map, by day\u2019s end that had changed.Article contentArticle contentThe Nova Scotia MP\u2019s decision to cross the floor dominated the news and social media \u2013 even overshadowing the budget. His move to the Liberal caucus put the government just two seats away from a majority in the House of Commons.Article contentWhile d\u2019Entremont has those who support his move, other reaction has been extreme anger. People have called him a traitor, saying he betrayed voters and Canadians.Article contentThere have been threats and the release of some of his personal information \u2013 some so concerning that there was security posted at his Yarmouth County home even while he was still in Ottawa.Article contentTHE NEGATIVITYArticle contentSo what made him do it?Article content\u201cI just had enough of the negativity. I just didn\u2019t feel right about things,\u201d d\u2019Entremont said in an Nov. 6 interview.Article contentEven before budget day, he had already had talks with some government members while sorting through his feelings. Prime Minister Mark Carney had also reached out.Article contentArticle content\u201cI talked to (the) prime minister directly about the riding. About what my interests were. What I think we should be doing in it. He was very supportive of these things,\u201d d\u2019Entremont says, saying Carney sees Canada as being at a pivotal point.Article contentArticle content\u201cWhere we need to be working together to solve some of our challenges, whether it\u2019s trade or others, to make Canada stronger. I like that message,\u201d says d\u2019Entremont.Article contentHe says in recent months when he and Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre had conversations about the direction of Canada, \u201cI didn\u2019t feel we were on the same page at all.\u201dArticle contentRelatedArticle contentD\u2019Entremont calls himself a centrist. A Red Tory. Someone seeking to solve problems together rather than tearing people down and being negative.Article contentHowever on Nov. 4, as the day unfolded, his feelings got out. Politico reported he was pondering crossing the floor. While he had spoken with that media outlet, he didn\u2019t know it was going to be publishing his comments. He had intended to take a few days after the budget to think things through.Article contentWhen the story came out, \u201cthings blew up by that point,\u201d he says, saying when he got to his office, \u201cI got yelled at by the Conservative House Leader. It made my decision far easier knowing that this was not my party anymore.\u201dArticle contentAsked if the news story forced his hand, he says it did.Article content\u201cI still had people to talk to. I wasn\u2019t 100 per cent there.\u201d He still needed to talk to family. His sons. \u201cI still wanted to give a few more people a heads up of what I was considering, hoping someone might talk me out of it. But quite honestly, nobody was talking me out of it.\u201dArticle content Back in 2023 when the riding was still known as West Nova \u2013 it\u2019s now called Acadie-Annapolis\u2013 MP Chris d\u2019Entremont added another pin to a portion of a riding map indicating the places which he\u2019s visited, attended events at or had meetings in to help track where he\u2019s been and where he still needs to go to. TINA COMEAU Photo by Tina Comeau \/TINA COMEAUArticle contentBut truthfully, he says, the choice likely wasn\u2019t his alone anymore. Had he not resigned from the Conservative caucus, he figures he would have been kicked out it.Article contentArticle contentBut even though his decision didn\u2019t play out at the pace he thought it might, his main reason for leaving the caucus hadn\u2019t changed.Article content\u201cI just can\u2019t deal with that negativity anymore,\u201d he says, saying he didn\u2019t feel represented by his party anymore.Article content\u201cThen we started to play this game of chicken in the House of Commons, of whether or not the opposition would be voting for the federal budget,\u201d he says, which could trigger an election.Article contentEven though on social media, many who oppose the Liberal government say they want an election, d\u2019Entremont says constituents were telling him they didn\u2019t want to go back to polls for the second time in one year.Article content\u201cSo my decision is based on giving the Liberals enough numbers to get that budget passed so that we can move on and try and try \u2013 at a pivotal time in our country \u2013 to make changes that are needed for the long term.\u201dArticle contentArticle contentD\u2019Entremont has said there have been other Conservative MPs with similar feelings about the party. But he conceded that after the extreme public reaction to his move to the Liberals, others might be reluctant to follow in his footsteps.Article content\u201cI\u2019m guessing that at caucus on Wednesday morning (Nov. 5) that they were read the riot act,\u201d he says, suggesting MPs would feel forced into submission.Article contentStill, the opposition Conservatives will be down another member. On Nov. 6, Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced he will be resigning from the House of Commons.Article contentHis ridingArticle contentD\u2019Entremont has said he consulted with riding constituents while weighing whether to remain in the Conservative caucus. Asked how this consultation occurred, he says it\u2019s been ongoing since the spring election. He says people who would have normally voted for him, or voted Conservative, told him they couldn\u2019t bring themselves to do it because of Poilievre.Article contentHe says this same sentiment was repeated throughout the summer.Article contentWhile d\u2019Entremont won his seat in the 2025 April election, it was no landslide. Just 1.1 per cent of the vote \u2013 533 votes \u2013 separated him and Liberal candidate Ronnie LeBlanc. He was the only Conservative elected in Nova Scotia. The other 10 ridings voted Liberal.Article content Acadie-Annapolis then-Conservative MP Chris d\u2019Entremont was greeted by supporters and family in Digby after being re-elected to serve the riding in the April 2025 federal vote. TINA COMEAUArticle contentSince d\u2019Entremont crossed the floor, there has been debate and disagreement on social media on how and why people vote.Article contentD\u2019Entremont has won every election he\u2019s run in, dating back to his initial foray into provincial politics 17 years before switching to federal politics. He wasfirst elected as a Conservative MP in October 2019 and was re-elected in 2021 and 2025. Twice he\u2019s been the only Conservative candidate elected in the province \u2013 in 2019 and 2025.Article contentD\u2019Entremont says people cast their votes for a variety of reasons. He\u2019s seen voting coalitions. Voting based on parties and platforms. People voting for the person. People voting against a candidate due to that party\u2019s leader.Article contentArticle contentDuring the 2003 Nova Scotia election, a life-long PC voter even told d\u2019Entremont she had to vote for his Liberal opponent because that person drove her vehicle to the car dealership whenever it needed repairs.Article contentReflectionArticle contentHe\u2019s reflected a lot on the 2025 April election.Article content\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about this all summer. And I haven\u2019t 100 per cent decided if I\u2019m running again. It\u2019s not about political survival. It\u2019s how do I best represent the people \u2026 In this particular case, I had to put politics aside and think about, what\u2019s the right thing here?\u201dArticle content MP Chris d\u2019Entremont speaking at an event in April 2025 in West Dover. RYAN TAPLIN PHOTO Photo by Ryan TaplinArticle contentMany people call d\u2019Entremont\u2019s decision sour grapes because the Conservatives didn\u2019t back him for the Speaker of the House position. \u201cDid it upset me at the time? Sure. But I\u2019m over that,\u201d he says. \u201cIt had no bearing whatsoever on this.\u201dArticle contentSomething that did factor into his decision is the federal budget. He sees things in it that hit priorities he identifies in his riding. The budget outlines abig investment in infrastructure nation-wide, which will stimulate the Canadian economy at a time when it\u2019s needed. The continuation of the New Horizons seniors\u2019 program is something else d\u2019Entremont highlights.Article contentArticle contentAsked if there are things he doesn\u2019t like about the budget, d\u2019Entremont says the projected deficit is concerning. The budget projects a deficit of $78 billion for 2025-2026.Article content\u201cI\u2019m still a fiscal conservative,\u201d he says. \u201cThat is a large deficit. We need to be careful on how we\u2019re spending. There is a mechanism within this budget that is bringing year-to-year spending down.\u201dArticle contentTHE ANGERArticle contentAsked if he anticipated the amount of anger being directed at him, d\u2019Entremont says the scope has surprised him. \u201cBut I was expecting all of those things,\u201d he says.Article content\u201cThere is some coordinated negativity being pumped out. We\u2019re seeing it all over social media, to the point where I\u2019ve turned all of my socials off \u2026 My information has been displayed on a number of these right-wing websites, to the point where I now have to have security at my house.\u201dArticle contentHe says a lot of hostility is directed from the right-wing. \u201cWhich, once again, justifies my decision. I find the party is getting too right-wing,\u201d he says.Article contentBut not everyone who is angered, hurt or feeling betrayed is part of a right-wing group. They are people who voted Conservative in his riding because they wanted change. They are frustrated by Liberal governments. They supported the platform that d\u2019Entremont was running on just over six months ago.Article content\u201cI hope I will be able to prove to them that this was the right decision. That being part of a government for a first time in a long time will benefit our area,\u201d d\u2019Entremont says. \u201cI also need to prove that there is still some base philosophies that I have as a progressive conservative that I hope I\u2019m able to share with this Liberal government.\u201dArticle contentOn the flip side, he has people who are very supportive of his decision, as they too have grown tired of the negativity and leadership style of the Conservative party.Article content Conservative MP Chris d\u2019Entremont was all smiles while on stage with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and then-MP Rick Perkins during a 2024 National Acadian Day concert at the Yarmouth Airport, which was part of the Congres mondial acadien that the region had hosted. TINA COMEAUArticle contentStill, others say if d\u2019Entremont was disillusioned by his party, why not sit as an independent? But he says sitting as an independent you\u2019re \u201cincapable of doing anything at all.\u201dArticle contentArticle contentHe didn\u2019t fully resign because there is much he still wants to accomplish. So he went with the third option: joining the government caucus, where he has direct access to ministers to talk about the issues and challenges from his riding.Article contentThere are people sayin g that d\u2019Entremont was their voice to hold the Liberal government accountable for what is happening, or not happening, in the fisheries in Nova Scotia and now this is lost.Article contentHe disagrees that he\u2019s lost this ability. He says his statements about the fishery from the past are still valid. \u201cEnforcement has to change in southwestern Nova Scotia,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have to have one set of seasons and one set of rules. That will not change in my advocacy.\u201dArticle contentAsked on Nov. 6 what\u2019s been the hardest thing of the past couple of days and what\u2019s been the best, d\u2019Entremont says the worst thing has been the effect on his family. \u201cI know they feel the stress sometimes just as much as I do. I do worry about them. And I worry about my staff,\u201d he says.Article content\u201cThe best thing is walking into that Liberal caucus and being welcomed in as a friend, open arms with hugs,\u201d he says, saying he couldn\u2019t recall the last time he felt that way with his old caucus.Article contentAsked if the Conservative party needs a new leader, d\u2019Entremont says, \u201cI think they desperately need a new leader. They need to do some soul searching right now.\u201dArticle contentAs for his own soul searching, says d\u2019Entremont, \u201cI want to be building something and helping something, rather than just complaining.\u201dArticle contentArticle content<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Narrowly-elected MP says to constituents: \u2018I hope I will be able to prove to them that this was the right decision\u2019Published Nov 06, 2025Last updated 3hours ago9 minute readAcadie-Annapolis MP Chris d\u2019Entremont hands out Canada flags during 2025 Canada Day festivities on Yarmouth\u2019s waterfront. 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