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Conservative MP Jamil Jivani might have the most personal reason to have a blue Christmas after Michael Ma's surprise defection to the Liberals on Thursday: he was left without a Secret Santa gift.
Ma was apparently Jivani's Secret Santa for the Conservative caucus gift exchange. But it appears the Ontario MP isn't letting the incident ruin his holiday spirit and even joked about the missing gift during a wide-ranging interview with CBC News.
"I purchased my gift for my dear friend [B.C. MP] Mel Arnold and when we were all giving out gifts, I didn't have one given to me. And I thought: Well, maybe someone forgot … no judgment," he said.
After the news of the floor-crossing broke, Jivani said he inquired with the organizers and found out Ma was his Secret Santa.
"Maybe he decided to give it to a Liberal instead," Jivani said while chuckling.
WATCH | Jivani on the Secret Santa mishap:Conservative MP Jamil Jivani says 'it's frustrating' and 'sad' that Michael Ma went from 'doing the conga line' at the Conservative Christmas party one night to crossing the floor to the Liberals the next.The MP did say that Ma leaving the Conservatives to join the Liberals was "frustrating."
"The bigger issue is that there seems to be this weird narrative being established that the only way for Conservatives and Liberals to work together is for a Conservative to cross the aisle and sort of betray their voters — and I don't think that has to be the case," he said.
Ma is the second MP to leave the Conservatives for the Liberals this fall, after Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont switched sides in early November.
Jivani pointed to the Conservatives and Liberals voting to pass the government's major projects bill in the spring and his offer to help the Liberals with the U.S. relationship as examples of common ground between the two parties.
"I think I, as a principled Conservative, can work with Liberals — and we don't need the backbiting and the floor-crossing and the showmanship. But Michael made his decision, Chris made his decision and we just keep fighting forward," he said.
CBC News has reached out to Ma for comment on his decision to cross the floor.
Ma released a statement Thursday night, saying that he made the decision after listening to his constituents in his riding of Markham-Unionville in the Greater Toronto Area.
"This is a time for unity and decisive action for Canada's future," he wrote.
Jivani said he had joined Ma at his campaign launch in what has been a battleground riding between the Liberals and Conservatives.
"I and many other Conservatives really did help him get elected," he said.
WATCH | Carney introduces new Liberal MP:Prime Minister Mark Carney brings new Liberal MP Michael Ma onto the stage during the Liberals' holiday party. Ma defected from the Conservatives earlier in the day.Jivani said he felt as though the floor-crossings were "designed to demoralize" Conservatives, but he insists that they've had the opposite effect.
"I actually think part of what's happening on our team is people really just rallying together and being like: 'Look, we're Conservatives for a reason.' It's reminding us why we wear the blue jersey," he said.
"We believe there's a decline happening in our country with the quality of life for the average Canadian getting worse. And we stand as a party that's trying to fix it. So I feel closer to my colleagues."
London-Fanshawe Conservative Kurt Holman posted on social media earlier Thursday that he was Ma's Secret Santa.
"I gave him an Amazon Fire Stick just hours before he crossed the floor. Now I want my gift back, just like the people of Markham-Unionville want their votes back!" he quipped.