Sunday September 7, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated September 8, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
New Democrat MPs are gathering for a caucus retreat on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (September 9 and 10) in Parksville, BC.
Just seven MPs are heading back to the House of Commons for the start of the fall sitting on September 15. That’s down from 24 MPs who were in NDP seats before the spring 2025 federal election.
Gord Johns, is the MP for Courtenay-Alberni. He is one remaining NDP MP on Vancouver Island (down from six of seven seats held from 2011 to 2025).
A town hall will be held in Courtenay with NDP Interim Leader Don Davies at 7 pm on Wednesday evening in this region of the country where arguably the NDP core base is still strong.
The caucus will also have a meeting with the Tseshaht First Nation in the Port Alberni area.
NDP carries on:
“We are a party of working people – formed in 1961 by working people for working people,” said Davies in a national interview on CTV’s Question Period this weekend.
“We are at our best when proposing concrete, practical policies,” said Davies.
Leading up to that will be NDP activities including a “vigorous democratic debate across this country”, with an eye to “priorities for this fall and an important budget in October”, said Davies today.
The party is rebuilding amidst media-observed public discourse that the party’s leadership in recent years was ineffective for the times and that the party is increasingly seen as based in ideology more than the practicalities of what it takes to be a party that is prepared to govern.
The Liberals did ‘eat the NDP lunch’ in the April 28 federal election results by capitalizing on the ‘fear of Trump’ and suggesting that only a former central banker (Mark Carney) could stand up to that on behalf of Canadians.
The decimation of the NDP in Election 2025 was during a moment of acute political stress that has produced a long-term impact for Canada’s NDP that are often seen as ‘the conscience of parliament’. The party is now without official party status in the House of Commons.
NDP leadership race:
The federal NDP leadership election is expected to be held in 2026. Every party member may cast a ballot. Candidates will be required to pay a $100,000 entry fee (due in four installments) and abide by a $1.5 million spending limit for their leadership campaign.
Liberals also in caucus:
The Liberal national caucus is meeting from Tuesday to Friday this week in Edmonton. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney led a meeting with his caucus in the Toronto area — with a focus on economic strategies and business.
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NEWS SECTIONS: FEDERAL NDP | CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025 | VANCOUVER ISLAND