NDP prepares to ‘push the boulder back up the hill’

A seemingly optimistic but greatly diminished NDP caucus met for the first time post-election on Wednesday, with party leader Tom Mulcair promising his troops that he will lead them into government in 2019.

Mulcair, who has flown largely under the radar since the NDP were reduced from official Opposition to third-party status on Oct. 19, seemed to re-confirm that he isn’t stepping down during a 10-minute speech delivered in the basement of Centre Block.

“We will be taking time in the months to come to analyze what happened,” Mulcair said, reiterating that a special committee is being set up to complete that work.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We will be taking time in the months to come to analyze what happened," Mulcair said, <a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/2307396/tom-mulcair-turning-to-defeated-ndp-mps-for-election-loss-answers/" target="_blank">reiterating that a special committee</a> is being set up to complete that work.

As it begins its new mandate, Mulcair said, the NDP will commit to holding the new Liberal government to account “with honour and head held high.”

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Mulcair spoke directly to reporters following the meeting, acknowledging that his first campaign as leader did not go quite as planned.

“I assume all of the responsibility as leader of the party, but at the same time we know this is our second-best result in terms of the number of seats.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I assume all of the responsibility as leader of the party, but at the same time we know this is our second-best result in terms of the number of seats."

The NDP did manage to elect 16 new MPs, but lost several party veterans like Megan Leslie and Peter Stoffer. Overall, its representation in the House of Commons went from 103 seats won in 2011 to 44 in 2015.

Outside Wednesday’s caucus meeting, MP David Christopherson said “it’s not the best feeling” to be back in third position.

“But we’ve been here before and it’s time to push the boulder back up the hill,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "But we've been here before and it's time to push the boulder back up the hill," he said.

According to Christopherson, the NDP was collateral damage as the Liberals became “agents of change” for Canadians tired of the Harper government.

“I’ve been around long enough to see these tidal waves go in and out, and when you’re facing them, at the end of the day, you’re just lucky to be standing.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I've been around long enough to see these tidal waves go in and out, and when you're facing them, at the end of the day, you're just lucky to be standing."

Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay, said he’s anxious to get back to work in spite of the losses the NDP suffered.

“Certainly when you go into a campaign with so much momentum and end up almost in free-fall you’re certainly disappointed,” Angus said. “These are things that we will have to talk about as a caucus.”