‘He lied to us’: MP Matt Jeneroux’s constituents say they feel sting of cold betrayal

“Unconscionable.” “A complete rejection of democracy.” “He lied.” That’s how voters in Edmonton Riverbend are describing former Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux’s decision to cross the floor.

Source: Facebook

Author: Clayton DeMaine

“Unconscionable.” “A complete rejection of democracy.” “He lied.”

That’s how voters in Edmonton Riverbend are describing former Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux’s decision to cross the floor and join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal caucus today. It’s a move many of his constituents say blindsided the riding and trampled the will of voters.

Daunavan Buyer, a resident of the Sweet Grass neighbourhood, didn’t mince words in an email he sent to his now-former Conservative MP.

“Your decision to betray your constituents by crossing over to the Liberal Party is unconscionable,” he wrote. “This riding has never once voted in a Liberal MP and this is a complete rejection of democracy and the will of the people.”

Buyer says he’s working multiple jobs just to cover basic necessities, struggles he directly ties to Liberal policies Jeneroux once opposed.

“I woke up to this news this morning feeling blindsided and sick to my stomach,” wrote Buyer, calling on Jeneroux to resign and trigger a by-election.

Juno News connected with Marie Boyce over the phone, another Riverbend resident, who says her family voted for Jeneroux in the last two elections because he ran as a Conservative.

“The election wasn’t even a year ago, and here we are,” Boyce said. “That’s not what we voted for here.”

Boyce says Jeneroux had previously indicated he would resign to spend more time with family, only to reverse course and join the Liberals a few short months later.

“He should have resigned,” she said. “If they’re allowed to just cross the floor and not have a by-election, that’s not a democracy. That’s not what we voted for.”

Boyce is now calling for automatic by-elections whenever an MP changes party affiliation and says the circumstances around Jeneroux’s move deserve scrutiny.

“What did Matt get?” she asked. “He ran on the Conservative platform. I don’t vote for the person. I vote for the party. That’s what I voted for.”

She alleges there must have been “some sort of backdoor deal” behind the scenes, adding that Jeneroux has rarely responded to her attempts to contact his constituency office over the years.

“It’ll be interesting,” she said. “You’re going to have a lot of upset residents in this community.”

For constituent Ryan McDonald, the controversy goes beyond party labels it’s about trust.

“Matt lied to his constituents,” McDonald said during a phone interview, referring to a public statement last November in which Jeneroux said he would resign for personal and family reasons amid rumours he was considering crossing the floor.

“As a constituent, somebody who’s voted for him many times. I feel betrayed, and I’m highly, highly disappointed,” McDonald said. “He told us he resigned. He’s now not resigning and instead crossing the floor. He should have been much more transparent with us as constituents.”

McDonald believes the “most ethical way” forward would have been to step down and allow voters to choose again.

“Allowing constituents to vote again would have been the proper course of action,” he said.

Like others in the riding, McDonald supports an investigation into what changed between November and now.

“What’s changed in 60 days?” he asked. “There needs to be some accountability. Constituents deserve transparency.”

He also questioned whether Jeneroux followed through on comments about donating his salary to charity during his announced resignation period.

Beyond personal frustration, some residents warn that the floor crossing could have wider political consequences.

“It’s going to continue to throw fuel on the fire,” McDonald said, referring to Alberta’s growing separatist movement.

He believes the move could add momentum to calls for a referendum on separation, even among those who previously viewed such ideas as extreme.

“People like myself, who view separatism as a very extreme outcome, are starting to question how extreme it really is,” he said. “More reasonable and rational people are going to take the view that democracy in Canada, potentially, [is] not really a thing.”

Buyer echoed similar concerns, warning that the defection “adds fuel to the Alberta independence movement” at a time when many Albertans already feel alienated from Ottawa.

For now, one message is consistent across Riverbend: many voters feel their ballots were effectively rewritten after the fact.

And unless Jeneroux steps down and seeks a renewed mandate under a Liberal banner, they say the controversy over his floor crossing won’t be fading anytime soon.