NDP caucus three-day retreat wraps up, MPs eager to advance outstanding bills

The federal NDP is concluding its three-day Edmonton caucus retreat on Thursday, after holding both a series of closed-door planning sessions and community outreach meetings.

The federal NDP is concluding its three-day Edmonton caucus retreat on Thursday, after holding both a series of closed-door planning sessions and community outreach meetings.

Over the last few days, New Democrats have heard from housing affordability advocates and embarked out into the city in small groups to visit local labour, business and First Nation leaders, as well as dentistry and nursing students.

What they've heard has helped NDP MPs focus in on what should be prioritized when the House of Commons resumes next week, and what they could try to negotiate into Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's 2024 federal budget.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will be holding a closing press conference Thursday afternoon to outline his caucus' plans as they head back to Parliament Hill.

Over what the New Democrats have called their "strategy session," there's been two central themes: finding ways to leverage their confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals, and in case they need to pull the plug on it, election readiness.

While progress has been made on some key pillars of the Liberal-NDP pact, such as initiating a national dental care program, and tabling "anti-scab" and "just transition" legislation, New Democrats at the caucus retreat have indicated that they feel the need to be on the Liberals' heels, ensuring follow-through.

Actually accomplishing the entirety of the two-party deal keeping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power is what MPs CTV News has spoken with indicated is a primary objective for 2024, indicating they want real action and not just Liberal announcements.