Interim NDP leader says party will play important role despite loss of status

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said Monday the party will still play a "profoundly important role" in this Parliament, even though it won't be granted official party status.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Monday morning the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized.

The NDP was reduced to just seven seats in last month's election.

Without official party status, the NDP will not be allowed to ask daily questions in question period, will not be guaranteed seats on standing committees and will lose out on financial resources provided to recognized parties.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Davies said that, in a minority government situation, any party that has seven seats "obviously has a balance of power."

"I think that we're going to be able to play a profoundly important role in this Parliament," he said. "I think that there is, as in every minority Parliament, a real opportunity for us to push and promote progressive policies and hold this government to account in a way that you can't do in a majority Parliament."

Asked if the NDP will get seats on committees, Davies said the party is having "fruitful discussions" with other parties about that right now.

Davies added that the NDP is focused on securing resources and said it will keep its offices.

"One of the arguments I've made is we're a national party, we had 1.2 million Canadians vote for us, and it's important that we have the tools we need to function and discharge that responsibility," he said.

Davies has told The Canadian Press he spoke with the Prime Minister's Office about obtaining official party status for the NDP in the House of Commons. He cited several past instances of provincial legislatures granting party status to an opposition party.

Davies said the threshold for official party status has been adjusted in the past to reflect the makeup of the Parliament.

"We inquired about that, the government doesn't seem interested in that. But what we're most interested in is just getting resources that we need that will allow us to carry the voices of Canadians more effectively to this House of Commons," he said.

The NDP lost official party status in the 1993 election but managed to regain it in the 1997 vote.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld