NDP MPs embrace distance from 'radioactive' Trudeau brand, as Singh convenes caucus in Montreal

MONTREAL -

Just days after demolishing his deal with Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is holding a three-day strategy session with his MPs in Montreal. There, his MPs are embracing their new-found distance from what one called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "radioactive" brand.

Singh has brought his caucus of 23 MPs to the prime minister’s hometown, to prepare for the fall sitting of Parliament, and make a final push to claim a Liberal seat in a local byelection.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, the federal New Democrats will convene largely behind closed doors to plot the party’s political strategy for the months ahead.

Singh’s decision to pull his party out of the supply-and-confidence deal last week — giving the minority Liberals minimal advance notice in the process — has significantly altered the political landscape.

The Conservatives are already hot on the NDP’s heels about bringing down the government, while the Bloc Québécois have signalled an intent to capitalize on holding the balance of power when confidence votes come up.

On their way in to today's meetings, NDP MPs said they're feeling lighter now that they are free from the two-party pact, and it's a move their constituents called for this summer — and are now welcoming.

"I think it's fair to say that my folks are pretty happy that we've put some distance between us and the Liberals," said NDP MP Alistair MacGregor. "Justin Trudeau's name is very radioactive in my parts of the country."

NDP MP Don Davies told reporters he was proud of what the deal accomplished, but it was "an unusual thing," and now he's welcoming the return of traditional minority dynamics. "That's not a gamble or a risk, that's the way Parliament works."

During an afternoon press conference, Singh talked about the objectives of the caucus "planning session," and vowed he'd be coming out of it with details on the types of red lines and high-ranking issues for the fall sitting.

"We are going to continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of Canadians. We're not going to be goaded by Conservatives. We're going to be making decisions that are in the best interests of Canadians, on anything that comes forward," he said.

"That's how we're going to manage the next session."

According to those in Singh's inner circle, he went into the meetings feeling good about how the roll-out of his political breakup with Trudeau went, and Singh later confirmed that he's not spoken to the prime minister since.

"I've not reached out, no, and we're not trying to strike up a new deal, so I don't care to have another conversation," Singh said.

Navigating new House dynamics

There are two main focuses of this week’s NDP caucus retreat. The first is the gains they want to make in the House of Commons and how they plan to handle votes now on a case-by-case basis.

The NDP pulled out of the supply-and-confidence pact before ensuring a few key pieces of legislation cross the finish line, but the party stays they’ll still be pushing the Liberals to make good on their promises.

Singh said Tuesday that his party plans to "continue to ramp up pressure on how we can get real relief for people."

Among the bills the party will press the government to pass is the Pharmacare Act, which outlines the "foundational principles" of a national universal drug coverage plan, and offers initial diabetes and contraceptive coverage. It was left before the Senate when Parliament adjourned for the summer.

A senior NDP source said healthcare is set to be a central focus for MPs this fall. They will be watching for the in-the-works Safe Long-Term Care Act to be tabled, and will be looking to ensure the expanding rollout of the national dental-care plan — which the government just launched new ads about — stays on track.

Asked whether they're worried that pulling out of the deal has put progress on the suite of major social programs in peril, NDP MPs said no. New Democrats' view is that they got what they could out of the agreement, and if the Liberals don't follow through, it'll be on them.

"I think it was necessary to end the deal to give us better leverage," said NDP MP Blake Desjarlais. "The reason why we had the deal was so that we could actually give runway to really big pieces of legislation."

Going forward, Desjarlais said he still thinks the NDP could be a legislative dance partner for the government if they present new progressive policies to tackle pressing issues such as housing and affordability.

There’s also voting accessibility reforms to the Canada Elections Act that the New Democrats still want to see advanced, but those changes are currently wrapped up in a bill that proposes to push back the next fixed election date.

That change would potentially protect pensions for MPs first elected in 2019, and the NDP have led the charge to see that provision scrapped despite some recent Conservative rhetoric.

Pitching voters on progressive change

The second area set to dominate discussions among NDP MPs and senior staffers this week, is how they plan to pitch themselves to voters as a viable progressive alternative to the surging Pierre Poilievre-led Conservatives.

Now that the next federal election call is likely less than a year away — a Singh-admitted side effect of his supply deal retreat — the party says it will be focusing on telling Canadians what’s at stake in the next vote.

The senior source said that while holding the government to account on the Hill remains a priority, as long as an embattled Trudeau stays on, New Democrats think the Liberals could be nearly out of the electoral picture come the next campaign.

This has Singh and his team feeling as if they are what stands between Canada and a Conservative government, and they are determined to paint a scene for voters of what that could mean for social supports they value.

"Canadians need to understand clearly if they elect a Conservative government, they will lose their dental care. Pharmacare will not proceed, probably all other progressive elements are at risk as well," Davies said.

He said he didn't think risking an earlier election puts these programs at any more of a heightened risk, as "there's going to be an election next year no matter what we do."

Faced with accusations that Conservatives would cut programs such as dental-, pharma- and child-care, the Official Opposition says it will not be sharing their spending or policy plans until closer to the election.

The first early tests of whether Singh cutting ties with Trudeau and focusing on Poilievre is to his political advantage, are a pair of byelections taking place in less than a week.

One is in Elmwood-Transcona, Man. to replace an NDP MP who resigned his seat in the House to work with Premier Wab Kinew, and where the New Democrats are now fighting the Conservatives to hold the seat.

The other is in a Montreal riding once held by former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin whose government fell on a non-confidence vote nearly two decades ago, making the symbolism behind the NDP’s choice of location for this week's meetings hard to miss.

Projections have the Liberal stronghold of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que. shaping up to be a three-way race between the Liberals, Bloc, and the NDP. Singh's got his sights set on picking up the seat through the extra time spent in the city.

While he's already hit the hustings in this byelection more than a handful of times, Singh and members of his caucus went canvassing with candidate Craig Sauve Tuesday night.

Alexandre Boulerice, the party's only MP in the province, is "hopeful" that come Monday that will no longer be the case.

"We are cautious, of course, but we are hopeful," he said. Asked whether the split from Liberals was done to help the New Democrats' chances in the riding, Boulerice said he thinks cutting ties "is going to help us everywhere."

"We got what we needed with that deal, but now it's over. And I think the people in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun are getting that, because they don't want to vote Liberal anymore," Boulerice said. "They are really disappointed with Liberals, and are looking for an alternative, and the alternative is the NDP."

Asked Tuesday what it could mean for his leadership if these campaigns don't go the NDP's way, Singh dismissed any suggestions that he'd be facing the same types of questions his Liberal counterpart is facing from his caucus in Nanaimo, B.C.

"I will be the leader taking us to the next election, because I want to be the next prime minister," he said.

Singh debuts new ad, campaign lead

Building on this election-readiness focus, on Tuesday the NDP debuted a new ad called "Dream No Little Dreams" in which Singh calls on Canadians to consider a federal NDP government.

"It's always impossible until it isn't. It can't be done until someone does it," Singh says in the ad. "We won't let them tell us it can't be done."

For the first time in a long time, the New Democrats are heading into the next campaign debt-free. So far, they've nominated nearly 60 candidates.

And, just as the Liberals start their search for a new national campaign director, Singh announced before the retreat began that he's tapped his chief-of-staff Jennifer Howard to take on the key role for the New Democrats ahead of the next national vote.

As a past NDP national campaign director and cabinet minister in Manitoba, Howard is being hailed as having “the experience necessary to take on Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative cuts and turn the page on Justin Trudeau’s delays and disappointment.”

Moving in as Singh’s new chief is long-time party strategist and former deputy chief of staff Jo Gauvin.

“He is smart, committed and an incredibly hard worker. I know he will be an effective leader for our staff team and a trusted adviser to me,” Singh said in a release announcing the staffing shuffle on Monday.

Stepping into the deputy chief of staff role is Erin Morrison, who previously held senior positions with the Ontario and Saskatchewan NDP.

Set to focus on communications, Morrison will help Singh “deliver the message to Canadians that New Democrats are ready to bring down the cost of living and deliver hope for the future.”

The trio of appointments are effective Sept. 16, the day Parliament resumes and voters go to the polls in the pair of byelections.