Fredericton Green MP Jenica Atwin is crossing the floor to join the Liberal Party of Canada.
Atwin made the announcement during a Thursday afternoon news conference with Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc.
“The colour of my team doesn’t compromise who I am or what I’ll continue to do with this riding,” Atwin said.
She calls her decision a positive thing for her community.
“This is about not backing down. It’s not about being other than who I am. I’m Jenica. I live in Fredericton and I have the same priorities and same values that I’ve always had.”
Atwin said inner party disagreements over the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict played a role in her decision and it became a distraction.
Atwin said she wants to be where she can do her best work on behalf of her community.
When she was elected in October 2019, Atwin became the first Green MP in Atlantic Canada.
The move will leave the Greens with just two MPs in the House of Commons.
Meantime, New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon issued the following statement in reaction to the news:
“Politics can get very rough, and today we saw the result. I know Jenica felt abandoned by her leader in Ottawa, and this was a source of unbearable stress for her. I am profoundly disappointed that she decided her only option was to cross the floor, after the voters of Fredericton and Oromocto had elected her as a Green, to be the kind of strong and independent voice in Ottawa that the Green Party encourages. She will discover that her principles will not find a home with the Liberals. MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould and Celina Caesar-Chavannes found this out the hard way.”
The federal Green Party leader also issued a statement, saying while they are disappointed with Atwin’s decision, they accept it.
Annamie Paul said constituents in Fredericton made the choice in 2019 to elect a Green MP to promote progressive policies.
Paul said while her party always seeks to cooperate and collaborate across party lines, “significant policy differences” remain between the Liberals and the Green Party on fundamental issues.
“Constituents of Fredericton chose a Green MP and they deserve to be offered the choice, at the earliest opportunity, to decide whether they now wish to be represented by the Liberal Party,” Paul said.
Written by Allan Dearing with files from Brad Perry.
