The Liberals are inching closer to a majority in the House of Commons after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that a third Conservative MP had crossed the floor.

Carney said in a post on X that Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux has agreed to join the Liberal caucus and would also serve as his special advisor on economic and security partnerships.

In the fall, Jeneroux was heavily rumoured to be on the cusp of joining the Liberal caucus. But he failed to make the leap and abruptly announced plans to resign his seat in the House of Commons in the spring amid rumours of aggressive pushback from Conservative leadership.

In his statement, Carney said Jeneroux would “continue his service as a strong voice for Edmonton Riverbend in Parliament.”

The PM said Jeneroux’s new advisory role will “contribute to strengthening Canada’s alliances and trade partnerships, advancing Canada’s leadership in global security cooperation, and building our strength at home.”

“The world has changed, and Canada must change with it. This is a time to come together — and together, we will build a stronger future for Edmonton, Alberta, and all Canadians,” he wrote.

Carney is set to meet with Jeneroux at an event in Edmonton on Wednesday.

A Liberal source said Jeneroux was brought on board after weeks of talks that restarted after his resignation announcement in the fall.

The source, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, said factors included Jeneroux’s riding leaning increasingly towards the Liberals and his discomfort with Conservative leadership.

A senior Liberal government source previously told iPolitics that Jeneroux was essentially a Liberal that didn’t fit in with the direction of the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre.

With the addition, the Liberals now have 169 seats in the House of Commons. There are currently three vacancies that if filled by Liberals would put that party at the majority threshold of 172.

Two of those seats are in Ontario and considered safe ridings for the party. The other is in Terrebonne, where the Liberals won by a single vote in last April’s election.

The runner-up Bloc Quebecois candidate challenged the decision to the Supreme Court. The court on Friday invalidated the election result after a woman in the Montreal-area riding revealed that she had mailed in her vote for the Bloc, but discovered it was never counted after her special ballot was returned due to an error on the envelope’s address.

The decision immediately vacated the seat.

It’s unclear if there will be another byelection in the works as rumours have intensified over the future of Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson.

The former natural resources minister was left out of Carney’s cabinet and has been rumoured as in line for a potential diplomatic appointment.

Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals on budget day in November. Ontario MP Michael Ma joined the party on the final day of the fall sitting in December.

More to come…