NDP looks to take advantage of Liberals' polling slump by pushing for policy wins: sources

Knowing that the Liberals have little appetite for an election over the coming year, the NDP is looking to push the federal government for more policy concessions, party sources tell Radio-Canada.

"[The Liberals] do not want to go to an election and it shows," a New Democrat source said.

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's team now facing a marked drop in the polls, the NDP is trying to assert itself. "We feel we have levers," the source added.

In 2022, the NDP agreed to support the minority Liberal government in the House of Commons and stave off an election until 2025 through a confidence-and-supply agreement. In exchange, the Liberals agreed to move on certain shared priorities, such as a national dental program for low-income Canadians.

But behind the scenes, Jagmeet Singh's party is now trying to secure additional concessions — including housing and cost-of-living commitments — in exchange for the NDP's continued support.

This account is based on two senior NDP sources who are aware of the negotiations, along with a Liberal source familiar with the party's thinking about the timing of the next election.

Party sources say the NDP wants the government to announce it's renewing the GST credit for vulnerable Canadians in its fall economic statement. The two parties are also discussing measures to speed up construction of affordable housing.

When asked, the Prime Minister's Office didn't deny that New Democrats are pushing for more concessions. A PMO spokesperson said the government is in regular contact with the NDP.

WATCH | NDP to use deal with Liberals to 'force' more action on housing, Singh says

"We focus on our common interests rather than our legitimate differences," the spokesperson said in a French statement.

Speaking with CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Tuesday about the government's housing policy, Singh said his party isn't limited to the concessions in the original confidence-and-supply agreement. 

"The agreement gives us the ability to negotiate and force this government to do more. Housing is one of the priorities that we have," he told guest host Travis Dhanraj.

Conversations between the two parties are nothing new but they've become more frequent in recent weeks, said both Liberal and NDP sources. The NDP is not looking for a completely new version of the agreement but it now wants to get more out of it, one party source said.

The original agreement notably provided for the creation of a fund to accelerate the construction of housing, the implementation of a charter of rights for home buyers and a top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit in 2022.