Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong asks Poilievre to let him join Conservative caucus

Independent MP Kevin Vuong, who previously ran for the Liberals, says he now wants to run for the Conservatives in the next election, and has asked Pierre Poilievre if he can join his caucus.

But the Tories are not considering allowing him to sit with them in Parliament, spokeswoman Sarah Fischer said Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped Vuong as a candidate just days before the September 2021 vote. The party cited Vuong’s failure to disclose a withdrawn sexual assault charge before running for office, which came out in a report by the Toronto Star in 2021.

He denies the allegations that led to the charge, and called them false.

He was elected anyway, and has sat as an independent for the downtown Toronto riding of Spadina-Fort York ever since.

Sitting in his Parliament Hill office on Friday, he says that while his time in the House of Commons got off to a “rough start,” he thinks he has made an impact and has something to offer Poilievre’s team.

“I believe that I can have more to give,” said Vuong.

“That’s why I’m looking to be able to be a part of a team, to be able to do that.”

He pointed to his efforts to raise awareness about the plight of homeless refugees in Toronto and press the Liberals to eliminate interest on federal student loans in question period.

Vuong’s desire to join the Conservatives does not come as a surprise to caucus members or other party insiders. He has voted alongside the Conservatives on a range of issues from economic matters to drug policy since joining the House of Commons.

“In the last year is when it really started to, I guess, accelerate in terms of folks actively saying, ‘Hey, I think you should be a part of our caucus.’ And I started to begin taking that very seriously as well,” he said