I suppose we shouldn’t be shocked that one of the NDP’s rookie Quebec MPs decided to cross the floor move down the opposition benches…but it’s still a bit of a surprise to see Lise St-Denis jump to the Liberals less than a year after the election.

As for her motives, even after listening to the press conference, that’s still a bit of a mystery. St-Denis is 71 so this isn’t a case of long term ambition. There’s nothing in recent polls to suggest the NDP ship is sinking. There’s been no high profile issue split between her and the NDP. The NDP leadership race is still ongoing, so it’s not like she’s upset with the new leader. And life with the third party in the House isn’t any more glamorous than life with the second party in the House.

If I had to guess, I’d assume St-Denis found herself elected as an NDP MP without ever giving a lot of thought to why she was a New Democrat. After learning a bit more about the parties, she changed her mind.

If this all seems odd, it’s because people like St-Denis rarely find their way to the House of Commons. She would never have been nominated if the NDP expected to win the riding. The fact that we have 50 accidental MPs siting on the NDP benches means things will happen that defy political convention. This may be the first example, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Given that, I wouldn’t read too much into this. St-Denis is a no-name who was elected on Jack Layton’s coat tails, in a riding where the Liberals got 12%. Yeah, it will be a bit awkward for former Bloc member Nicole Turmel to explain this one. It’s one less endorsement for Thomas Mulcair. It will mean a few days of positive press for the Liberals.

But this isn’t a game changer, and its impact on Canadian politics will be fairly insignificant.