In the echo of a brutal electoral blow, interim New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Don Davies stood before reporters on Friday and tried to chart a course through the wreckage. His party, reduced to just seven seats — five short of the threshold required for official party status in the House of Commons — is now fighting for survival. The number was shocking, he admitted. “No one really foresaw it,” he said.
But now, Davies finds himself in a high-stakes negotiation with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly elected government, pushing for recognition — and the vital resources that come with it.
Without official status, the NDP loses more than just symbolic stature. There’s money, fewer questions during question period, no guaranteed presence on standing committees. It all adds up to invisibility — a prospect Davies is determined to avoid.
“I think one of my primary objectives is to make sure our caucus has the resources we need to discharge our functions in Parliament,” Davies said, speaking slowly and carefully, “but more importantly, to advocate effectively for the 1.2 million Canadians who voted for us.”
He framed the fight not as a political favor but as a moral imperative. “We are actively working to try to make sure we get those resources for our caucus.”
The Prime Minister’s Office, for its part, declined to confirm whether such talks are happening.
But there’s precedent. Davies pointed out that provincial legislatures have, at times, granted official status to parties that fell short of the seat threshold. The federal NDP is hoping for the same.
Still, reality has already hit hard. The party has laid off swathes of staff — from senior leadership to media relations to policy researchers. The party’s infrastructure has been hollowed out overnight.
Kathleen Monk, who once served as Jack Layton’s communications director, was blunt: “Don Davies needs to ensure in the next eight months, maybe six months, that New Democrats don’t fall off the map.” She knows what’s at stake — and how quickly relevance can disappear in Ottawa.
Davies, for his part, is searching for ways to stretch what’s left. That might mean relying more on outside help — civil society organizations, partnerships, new models of policy engagement. “It’s actually kind of exciting,” he said, trying to stay optimistic. “To reimagine how we can open up a process and actually get more input into our parliamentary caucus.”
The party is also beginning the long road toward a leadership contest to replace Jagmeet Singh. Davies stepped into the interim role partly because of seniority — he’s the NDP’s longest-serving MP, with 17 years in Parliament. But this is no victory lap. It's triage.
The review of what went wrong is still underway. But even now, Davies seems to know what needs fixing.
“I think the challenge for us is also an opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to have to get out of Parliament and go meet Canadians where they’re at.” In other words: knock on doors, listen more, talk less.
He believes most Canadians aren’t glued to House of Commons debates. To reach them, the NDP will need to show up in their lives — not just their feeds.
That means revisiting old relationships. The NDP lost big in its Ontario strongholds — places like Hamilton, London and Windsor — once bastions of organized labour and industrial workers.
“We have to go back and re-establish our working relationship with working Canadians,” Davies said. That includes unions, gig workers, young people, and anyone else struggling to stay afloat in today’s economy.
Why did those ties unravel? Davies isn’t ready to answer that yet. “I don’t want to prejudge those conversations,” he said, referencing the party’s coming review process. Still, the subtext was clear: the NDP lost touch with the very people it was built to represent.
Monk thinks the party needs to broaden its pitch. “I think that New Democrats somehow have lost their way over the last few years,” she said. “They are no longer the answer to Canadians’ economic problems, or haven’t been.”
For her, the NDP’s message has been too narrow — focused largely on health care and the care economy. That’s not enough anymore. “It has to include economics, international relations, and defence,” she said. “We have to do well on all those fronts.”
Davies agrees. His own priorities include affordable housing, expanded health access and “good jobs” — a callback to classic NDP messaging.
The next few months could determine whether the NDP clings to the national conversation or fades into the background. And Davies, an experienced hand now leading a bruised caucus, is trying to strike a balance — between realism and resolve.
It won’t be easy. But for now, he’s not ready to count the NDP out.
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Without official status, the NDP loses more than just symbolic stature. There’s money, fewer questions during question period, no guaranteed presence on standing committees. It all adds up to invisibility — a prospect Davies is determined to avoid.
“I think one of my primary objectives is to make sure our caucus has the resources we need to discharge our functions in Parliament,” Davies said, speaking slowly and carefully, “but more importantly, to advocate effectively for the 1.2 million Canadians who voted for us.”
He framed the fight not as a political favor but as a moral imperative. “We are actively working to try to make sure we get those resources for our caucus.”
The Prime Minister’s Office, for its part, declined to confirm whether such talks are happening.
But there’s precedent. Davies pointed out that provincial legislatures have, at times, granted official status to parties that fell short of the seat threshold. The federal NDP is hoping for the same.
Still, reality has already hit hard. The party has laid off swathes of staff — from senior leadership to media relations to policy researchers. The party’s infrastructure has been hollowed out overnight.
Kathleen Monk, who once served as Jack Layton’s communications director, was blunt: “Don Davies needs to ensure in the next eight months, maybe six months, that New Democrats don’t fall off the map.” She knows what’s at stake — and how quickly relevance can disappear in Ottawa.
Davies, for his part, is searching for ways to stretch what’s left. That might mean relying more on outside help — civil society organizations, partnerships, new models of policy engagement. “It’s actually kind of exciting,” he said, trying to stay optimistic. “To reimagine how we can open up a process and actually get more input into our parliamentary caucus.”
The party is also beginning the long road toward a leadership contest to replace Jagmeet Singh. Davies stepped into the interim role partly because of seniority — he’s the NDP’s longest-serving MP, with 17 years in Parliament. But this is no victory lap. It's triage.
The review of what went wrong is still underway. But even now, Davies seems to know what needs fixing.
“I think the challenge for us is also an opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to have to get out of Parliament and go meet Canadians where they’re at.” In other words: knock on doors, listen more, talk less.
He believes most Canadians aren’t glued to House of Commons debates. To reach them, the NDP will need to show up in their lives — not just their feeds.
That means revisiting old relationships. The NDP lost big in its Ontario strongholds — places like Hamilton, London and Windsor — once bastions of organized labour and industrial workers.
“We have to go back and re-establish our working relationship with working Canadians,” Davies said. That includes unions, gig workers, young people, and anyone else struggling to stay afloat in today’s economy.
Why did those ties unravel? Davies isn’t ready to answer that yet. “I don’t want to prejudge those conversations,” he said, referencing the party’s coming review process. Still, the subtext was clear: the NDP lost touch with the very people it was built to represent.
Monk thinks the party needs to broaden its pitch. “I think that New Democrats somehow have lost their way over the last few years,” she said. “They are no longer the answer to Canadians’ economic problems, or haven’t been.”
For her, the NDP’s message has been too narrow — focused largely on health care and the care economy. That’s not enough anymore. “It has to include economics, international relations, and defence,” she said. “We have to do well on all those fronts.”
Davies agrees. His own priorities include affordable housing, expanded health access and “good jobs” — a callback to classic NDP messaging.
The next few months could determine whether the NDP clings to the national conversation or fades into the background. And Davies, an experienced hand now leading a bruised caucus, is trying to strike a balance — between realism and resolve.
It won’t be easy. But for now, he’s not ready to count the NDP out.
