Kitchener MP Rejects Liberal Offer to Switch Parties

An Ontario Conservative MP says she’s not planning to switch sides anytime soon, even after the Liberal Party tried to recruit her.

Kitchener Centre MP Kelly De Ridder shared that she received a call from the Liberals, attempting to persuade her that changing parties would increase her chances in the next election.

She disagrees.

“There needs to be transparency and accountability in government and that’s just the bottom line and it’s being slowly eroded away and the trust in our institutions is going to be gone,” De Ridder told in an interview after posting about her experience in a video on Facebook.

The Liberals currently hold most of the seats in the House of Commons, following several Conservative MPs crossing over in recent months.

During a press conference earlier this month, shortly after Marilyn Gladu became the latest MP to leave the Conservatives, Prime Minister Mark Carney said those who switched brought “a series of perspectives and expertise that is aiding … the government and the country at a crucial time.”

De Ridder claims they tried to recruit her as well, but she turned them down.

“They said we’ve noticed what you’re doing in committee and you’re doing really great work. And especially your interest in AI, in digital policy, we think there would be a really good spot for you on our team here,” De Ridder told.

“I said, well, thank you for the flattery and pumping my tires a little, but my answer is still no.”

De Ridder asserts that the Liberals also promised her that if she switched parties, she would have support from the Green Party when running for Kitchener Centre in the next election.

has reached out to the Liberal Party, the Green Party and Mike Morrice’s office for comment.

The Green Party’s Mike Morrice was serving as incumbent during April 2025 federal elections but lost his seat to De Ridder.

De Ridder won with 20,217 votes, which was 358 more than Morrice’s total of 19,859. The Liberal candidate Brian Adeba came third with 17,298 votes. It was one of three local seats flipped by Conservatives during that election; Cambridge and Kitchener South-Hespeler were also changed hands.

Weighing pros and cons of speaking out

De Ridder explained why it was important for her to share details about their conversation and her decision not to join them.

“Personally, I was starting to get frustrated with the blame being placed on the Conservative Party and our leader. What is happening here is active recruitment to the other side and someone needed to tell that story,” she said. “That someone, I guess, has got to be me.”

Andrea Perrella is an associate professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. He notes it’s not uncommon for parties trying recruiting members from across party lines.>

“It does occur, but it is unusual for recipients of such invitations going public about it,” he explained. “It can tarnish or strain relationships.”

“There’s a certain degree of goodwill you want between members from different parties; despite how media portrays them sometimes, they don’t hate each other-they actually do collaborate.”

Perrella mentions there might also be benefits from speaking out like this.

If there’s any risk impacting her viability as a candidate then making this known essentially tells voters ‘You stand with me while I stand with you’.. this reinforces her reputation as a loyal Conservative,” he noted.

This image could help during upcoming elections-especially within Kitchener Centre riding where voter preferences are increasingly mixed up.”

[Kitchener Centre] can shift from one party representation quickly-we’ve seen various parties represent this area at both provincial level too-it isn’t secure territory for any single party,” Perrella remarked.

If she maintains conservative support within Kitchener Centre district then expressing these sentiments may keep those votes solidified.”


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