NDP preparing for the weeks ahead

After an emotional weekend atJack Layton's funeral,NDP staff are moving on literally into new offices and are busy making preparations for Parliament's fall session and a leadership convention.

"We're rolling up our sleeves and getting down to work," Brad Lavigne, principal secretary to the leader of the Opposition, said Monday morning.

Liberals have moved out of the downtown Ottawa building that houses the leader of the Official Opposition offices (known as the OLO) and House of Commonsemployees were busy Monday getting them ready for NDP staff.

"Today is moving day," said Lavigne, adding that the move is one of the finalstepsas the party prepares for the fall session that begins Sept.19. Boxes were being transferred from the NDP's previous offices. Computers and phoneswere being set up as Lavigne and other staff were there Monday starting to get settled.

Following the May 2election when the NDP rose to 103 seats and kicked the Liberals out of opposition, the House of Commonssat for only about three weeks beforebreaking for the summer.Dozens of staff have been hired to work in the OLO and the NDP has also opened up a separate office in Montreal to assist its 59 MPs from Quebec.

The party has had a full plate this summer, setting up operations, preparing for the fall session,dealing with the news of Jack Layton's cancer diagnosis in July, installing Nycole Turmel as his temporary replacement, managing the controversy around her ties to the Bloc Qubcois, and now coping with Layton's death on Aug. 22.

Attention turns to leadership race

The party also has to turn its attention now to organizing a leadership race to replace Layton. Speculation onwho it might bestarted before Layton's state funeral on Saturday in Toronto and will ramp up in the coming weeks as NDP MPs and insiders are more willing to talk.

Brian Topp, the NDP's president, isbeing talked about as a top contender who is interested in succeeding Layton, along with a number of NDP MPs. No one in the NDP caucus haspublicly declared yet that they intend to run for the leadership. Thomas Mulcair and Libby Davies are the two deputy leaders who could run for the job. Peggy Nash, Paul Dewar, and Pat Martin, are other experienced MPs whose names have been floated as possible replacements for Layton.

The NDP's federal council will meet in Ottawa within the next two weeks toestablish the rulesfor the leadership race and it also has to settle on a date and location for the convention. A review of the party's rules and regulations for leadershipelections is currently underway. Rebecca Blaikie, secretary-treasurer, is in charge of itTopp is playing no role in the review and she will make recommendations to the party's executive committee and federal council.

"In the event I were to become involved in the leadership race it would then also be appropriate for me to take a leave from my duties as president," Topp told CBC on Monday, adding that he understands his intentionscan't remain an open question forvery long.

Asked whether he is going to run for leader, Topp responded that Layton put together a remarkable team since he was elected leader in 2003."Our political family includes excellent potential candidates. I don't doubt they are all thinking about the powerful messages Jack left all of us, including his charge to find ways to carry on his workas am I."

Once the rules for the race are decided upon, including a timeline, leadership contenders will know how long they have to mount campaigns and sell party memberships. The NDPuses a one-member one-vote system to elect leaders.

Layton suggested in his letter that was released hours after his death that a leadership convention be held as soon as possible in 2012. The party says it will try to honour his wishes, but when and where the convention is held will largely be dictated by the availability of venues on such short notice. Convention spaces are often booked more than a year in advance.

It's not likely Layton's successor would be chosen before 2012 given the number of provincial elections taking place this fall. Lavigne said those eventswill be taken into consideration when deciding on the date because the federal NDP doesn't want to negatively impact the work that needs to be done on the provincial levels this fall.

Fall strategy session coming up

While the NDP's council makes preparations for the leadership race, the caucus is getting ready for the fall session of Parliament that begins in three weeks.

They are heading to Quebec City on Sept.13 for three days of strategy meetings where they will go over their goals for this year, and the years ahead. There will also be a lot of discussion on how to be an effective opposition party against Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his majority Conservative government.

"This team does not want to go into the session allowing the Harper government to set the agenda," said Lavigne.The caucus will hold the government to account, he said, but will also strive to be the MPs setting the agenda in the House of Commons.

Lavigne said the NDP has carefully studied opposition parties of the past and what made them effective, or ineffective, and that its members will be applying those lessons when Parliament resumes.

Interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel will be leading the caucus strategy meetings in Quebec City and it will be one of her first opportunities to show her caucus what kind of leader she is going to be when they return to Ottawa a few days later for work on Sept.19.

The former union leader and Quebec MP, elected for the first time in the spring election,was handpicked by Layton to be his temporary replacement when he announced July 25 he was stepping aside because of his second cancer diagnosis. Turmel agreed to take on the job and the caucus and party executive confirmedLayton's choice.

"She has taken up this role because she's been asked to not because she sought it and she's been handling herself with grace and professionalism," said Lavigne, "AndI know that the staff team are 100 per centbehind her,I know the caucus is 100 per centbehind her and we have a lot of work to do and the goal is to roll up our sleeves and get to it."