NDP needs more ‘conscientious’ approach to avoid becoming permanent Liberal prop-up: experts

But those sorts of negotiations can be difficult to translate into material gains come election time, says Kathy Brock, professor at Queen’s University. It’s a problem facing Singh after his party lost 15 seats in the last federal election, reducing it to the lowest number of MPs since Jack Layton’s first election in 2005.

“Up until now people have seen the NDP as just propping up the government,” Brock said.

She said the Wednesday vote could also be framed by the NDP as a cynical bid to push for a pandemic election by the Liberals, who left little doubt that they would be willing to head to the polls. The party will have to more explicitly distinguish itself from the ruling government as future spending proposals are tabled in the House of Commons.

“The New Democrats will not give Prime Minister Trudeau the election he’s looking for,” Jagmeet Singh told reporters ahead of the vote on Wednesday. Photo by Gary Clement/National Post

“The NDP is really going to have to be much more conscientious in Parliament going forward,” Brock said. “And that means putting motions on the table that investigate things that the government is doing and spending, putting forward measures that the government might have to vote down.”

So far the party has instead seemed satisfied with supporting the Liberals in exchange for heftier spending commitments.

The NDP in September struck an agreement with the Liberals to support the government’s throne speech in exchange for an expanded paid sick program and a higher monthly benefit for laid-off workers. The agreement reversed plans by the Trudeau government to cut back its main COVID-19 benefit, set to be trimmed from $500 per week down to $400 as a way to incentivize more employees to return to work.