(Ottawa) An independent Toronto MP, Kevin Vuong, said he is asking Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to let him join the Conservative caucus. He says he plans to seek a nomination for the party in a riding in the Greater Toronto Area.
Mr. Vuong said in an interview Friday that he had recently sent a letter to Mr. Poilievre and had also informed the party’s caucus chair, Ontario MP Scott Reid, of his wishes.
“We sent an official letter to the leader of the Conservatives, expressing my desire to be able to join his caucus and work with him and his team,” he said.
“I intend to seek a candidacy for a constituency in the [région du Grand Toronto]. »
The Spadina—Fort York MP ran as a Liberal candidate in the 2021 election, but his party dismissed him days before the vote, saying he failed to inform the Liberals of an assault accusation sexual assault brought against him, then withdrawn. Mr. Vuong still won the vote.
He said he believes he has made an impact, even though he had a “rocky start” in the House of Commons.
Mr Vuong has voted alongside the Conservatives on a range of issues since joining the House of Commons and said he became a member of the party last November.
But Conservative Party spokeswoman Sarah Fischer said the Conservatives had no plans to bring him into caucus.
Asked if he had spoken directly to Mr. Poilievre about his desire to join the group, Mr. Vuong said no and that the extent of their relationship is that they sometimes cross paths at the outside the room.
“We say hello to each other like I think you would talk to any colleague. »
Still, the independent MP said Friday that over the past year and a half, he has had positive conversations with members of Mr. Poilievre’s caucus about the possibility of joining their parliamentary team.
“It was in the last year that things really started, I guess, to pick up. In the sense that people were actively saying, “Hey, I think you should be in our caucus.” And I started taking it very seriously too,” he related.
The MP also stressed that his desire to run for a Conservative nomination did not depend on his membership in the caucus.
“One of the things that I think I really like about this party is that it cares about the grassroots,” he said.
“So I hope to have that popular support and, from there, that popular support will show the party that ‘Hey, there are people in [la région du Grand Toronto] who support Kevin.” »