The Conservative caucus gave two of their surprising new colleagues a lukewarm reception at their first post-election meeting.

David Emerson and Michael Fortier, two controversial new members of the cabinet announced Monday, were not elected to Parliament as Conservatives.

"Their presence here is a sign of one thing -- My determination to make sure ... we have the strongest national government possible," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his caucus on Tuesday.

While the caucus stood and politely applauded, there were no whoops or other signs of enthusiasm.

In the Jan. 23 federal election, Emerson, industry minister in the Paul Martin government, was re-elected as the Liberal member for Vancouver-Kingsway. The Tories asked him to cross and he did, being named international trade minister in Monday's cabinet announcement.

Fortier, a Montrealer who served as the Conservative campaign co-chair, said Tuesday he didn't want to run in the election. Harper appointed him to the Senate Monday and then made him public works minister.

The Conservatives failed to elect an MP in either Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Harper said Emerson and Fortier would help give two of those major cities representation in cabinet.

Eight months ago, Liberals gave Belinda Stronach a raucous welcome when she crossed the floor to join them and help prop up their tottering minority government. Some Conservatives blasted her.

"There are two types of people: People with principle and Belinda Stronach," B.C. Conservative MP James Moore said at the time.

Of Emerson, Moore, left out of cabinet but made parliamentary secretary to Fortier, said: "All I can say is that David Emerson is a very talented British Columbian. He'll do good things for British Columbia in cabinet."

Many in Harper's caucus seemed uncomfortable with appointments of Emerson and Fortier, given Conservative campaign promises to clean up politics and government.

Asked if Harper made an ethical choice, Alberta MP Ken Epp said: "I will not answer that."

Epp was first elected in 1993 as a member of the Reform Party, a party created in part to change how politics were conducted, including fighting for an elected Senate.

"I'm a little bit uncomfortable with it but I guess we'll go from here and work with him as a colleague, I guess," said Saskatchewan's Maurice Vellacott, another MP first elected under the Reform banner.

"That was a rather big surprise, but I trust Stephen Harper's judgment in making that decision," said Alberta MP Myron Thompson, another Reform veteran.

Helena Guergis, an Ontario MP, was reportedly set to reintroduce her private member's bill requiring floor-crossing MPs to run in a by-election as a candidate for their new party -- an idea not included in the Conservatives' election platform.

However, Guergis was one of 26 people named Tuesday as a parliamentary secretary, leading to that idea being shelved.

Bill Casey, a Nova Scotia MP, wasn't made a parliamentary secretary.

He told an Amherst, N.S. radio station that he did not like Emerson's handling of the softwood lumber file when Emerson was a Liberal cabinet minister and he is annoyed that Emerson is again in charge of that file.

Asked whether there was similar frustration among his fellow Conservative caucus members, Casey said: "I suspect there is some, yes.''

Rahim Jaffer, the Alberta MP appointed as caucus chair by Harper, said: "It's a healthy thing to have that kind of debate,'' adding, ""There's no doubt about it -- there are some who feel there should be some sort of process in place if anyone does decide to cross the floor."

Alberta MP Jason Kenney said: "The Liberals criticized us for not having voices from Montreal and Vancouver. They can't criticize us for that now."

Nova Scotia MP Gerald Keddy added: "Any time you can poach a major player from the opposition parties, you do it."

With a report from CTV's David Akin