Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin is poised to bolt from the Inexperienced social gathering caucus right this moment and cross the ground to hitch the governing Liberals, CBC Information has realized.
Atwin is predicted to make the announcement at a information convention in Fredericton later right this moment, with Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc by her facet.
A senior Liberal supply stated Atwin initiated the floor-crossing a number of weeks in the past when she reached out to the governing social gathering.
The supply stated Atwin expressed consolation with the Liberals’ strategy to core points such because the atmosphere and reconciliation. Atwin’s husband Chris Atwin is a councillor with the Oromocto First Nation.
Atwin completed a historic breakthrough for the Greens within the final election — successful their first ever seat in Atlantic Canada when she defeated Liberal incumbent Matt DeCourcey in Fredericton. Atwin, together with Paul Manly and former chief Elizabeth Could, gave the Greens three MPs and their largest caucus in historical past.
A fracture over the Center East
Atwin’s departure comes after the Israeli-Palestinian battle uncovered fault strains within the Inexperienced social gathering ranks.
Atwin instantly challenged social gathering chief Annamie Paul’s place on the battle, saying Paul’s name for de-escalation and a return to dialogue between the 2 was “completely insufficient.”
“I stand with Palestine and condemn the unthinkable airstrikes in Gaza. Finish Apartheid!” Atwin tweeted on Could 11.
The day earlier than, Manly tweeted that the elimination of Palestinian households from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah “is ethnic cleaning.”
Extra just lately, the Canadian Press reported that the Inexperienced govt committee voted to not renew the contract of certainly one of Paul’s senior advisers.
The adviser, Noah Zatzman, had expressed solidarity with Israel in a Could 14 social media put up that accused many politicians, together with unspecified Inexperienced MPs, of discrimination and antisemitism, sparking a letter-writing marketing campaign calling for his elimination.
Individually, two social gathering executives just lately introduced they might step down early. Considered one of them was John Kidder, a vice-president on the social gathering’s governing physique and husband to MP and former chief Elizabeth Could.
Within the 2019 marketing campaign, Atwin stated left-leaning voters felt “betrayed” when Trudeau broke a promise to reform the electoral system and stated they had been now trying on the Greens as a extra real progressive selection.
“We expect we’re that possibility,” she stated. “We expect we are the ones to look to for voters searching for change, and trying to get higher outcomes than what we have seen within the final 4 years.”
She additionally accused Trudeau of “fear-mongering” when he warned voters {that a} Liberal-Inexperienced vote cut up would assist elect a federal Conservative authorities.
However she welcomed his promise throughout that marketing campaign to stress the New Brunswick provincial authorities of Premier Blaine Higgs to fund abortions at Fredericton’s Clinic 554.
“It’s attention-grabbing that he hasn’t introduced it up earlier than, however help is help,” she stated on the time. “I need to see Clinic 554 keep open … so I recognize that he is now stepping ahead. It could have been good to see in the course of the Gallant authorities as nicely.”
