December 12, 2025 — Ottawa
The Alliance of Chinese Conservatives (AOCC) expresses its profound shock and strong condemnation regarding yesterday’s sudden announcement by federal Conservative MP Michael Ma—representing the riding of Markham–Unionville—that he is leaving the Conservative Party to join the governing Liberal Party.
This conduct is not only a blatant “floor-crossing” betrayal of voter trust, but also a direct affront to the fundamental integrity of Canada’s democratic system. MP Ma was elected in April 2025 as a Conservative candidate, pledging to uphold Conservative values and policy commitments. With the support of tens of thousands of voters—many of whom are from the Chinese Canadian community—he succeeded in flipping Markham–Unionville from Liberal to Conservative.
Now, less than one year into his mandate, he has abandoned his principles and defected to the Liberal Party. This violates the solemn commitments he made to voters and undermines the representative will of his constituents. This
also marks the second time in two months that a Conservative MP has crossed the floor to join the Liberals, highlighting a troubling rise in political opportunism.
We wish to emphasize the following:
- Such opportunistic defections severely damage the stability and credibility of Canada’s parliamentary democracy, deepening public distrust in the representative system. Amid an upcoming Conservative leadership review for Pierre Poilievre, this act appears intentionally disruptive to internal party unity.
- At a time when Canada faces high inflation, soaring housing costs, a cost-of-living crisis, and worsening public safety, this self-serving political maneuver disregards the national interest and voters’ wellbeing. MP Ma now claims he crossed the floor to “listen to constituents,” yet abandoned his original campaign pledge to fight Liberal inflationary spending and reduce Canadians’ living costs.
- The Chinese Canadian community has long supported Conservative principles—economic freedom, lower taxes, rule of law, and opposition to discriminatory policies. Markham–Unionville is one of the most Chinese-populated ridings in Canada, and this act of betrayal is a deep insult to Conservative-leaning Chinese voters who value integrity and stability.
1. The Alliance of Chinese Conservatives (AOCC) hereby calls for:
- Contrary to Michael Ma’s claims, the AOCC has been actually speaking to community members. Based on overwhelming feedback, we call on him to resign immediately and trigger a by-election.
- Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre to impose the strongest internal disciplinary measures and publicly affirm that betrayal of voters will never be tolerated, thereby reinforcing party unity.
- The Conservative caucus to strengthen vetting procedures for nomination contestants and candidates, and for the upcoming national convention to seriously consider proposed constitutional amendments submitted by EDAs to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
- All Conservative MPs to uphold principle and integrity, honour their commitments, and reject any transactional politics or inducements that compromise the trust placed in them by voters.
- Voters across Canada—especially within the Chinese Canadian community—to make their voices heard in the next federal election by decisively rejecting political opportunists, ensuring that “betrayers always pay a political price” becomes a new norm in Canadian politics.
Chinese Canadians have long been known for diligence, respect for the law, and honouring commitments. We will not tolerate political opportunism that betrays voters and undermines democratic integrity.
The AOCC will continue to monitor developments closely and will remain committed to ensuring that the voice of the Chinese Canadian community is fully represented within the Conservative Party.
