NDP caucus holds first face-to-face meeting in historic Railway Room

The orange wave finally crested on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, with NDP Leader Jack Layton holding his first full caucus meeting as the official Opposition.

Layton kicked off the two-day gathering with a rousing speech that cut up Prime Minister Stephen Harper for naming three failed Conservative candidates to the Senate — but also promised to make Ottawa more co-operative.

“Stephen Harper, Canadians didn’t give you a four-year pass to reward your Conservative friends. Canadians sent us here to start getting results for them,” Layton told the 103-member caucus and their staff.

In a tip of the hat to the surge of NDP support in Quebec that all but wiped out the Bloc Quebecois, almost 60 per cent of Layton’s speech was in French and included a sizable section dedicated to Quebec voters.

“Quebecers voted for change. They told us they are fed up with the old debates and the old way of doing politics,” Layton told the MPs.

“To Quebecers, my message is clear. You can count on me to defend your interests.”

The NDP is now the voice of Quebec in Ottawa, with 59 of the province’s 75 federal seats. Until now, the most seats the NDP ever held in that province was one.

“History is being made b4 our eyes,” returning Sudbury MP Glenn Thibault said on Twitter.

The New Democrats held their caucus meeting in the historic railway committee room on Parliament Hill. The large, ornate hall with its soaring ceiling traditionally belongs to the official Opposition, a role the New Democrats won for the first time ever, in the May 2 election.

“Canadians have given each of us an important job to do. And that’s to hold the Conservatives to account and to propose practical solutions that will drive the agenda and the country forward,” Layton said.

Layton campaigned on pension reform, tax breaks for small businesses, helping families make ends meet and fostering a more productive climate for discussion in Ottawa. His speech reflected those same priorities for the coming session of Parliament.

But first, the MPs are spending some time getting to know one another at a reception on the Hill, before opening a full day of meetings on Wednesday.

“Beyond excited about meeting everyone — some for the first time,” tweeted returning Hamilton MP Chris Charlton.

Only a third of the NDP caucus has any experience as an MP.

“Feels like 1st day of school,” party veteran Libby Davies added on Twitter.

Layton is expected to name his shadow cabinet later this week, and has suggested it will reflect the fact that 40 per cent of his caucus is female.

He says he wants to concentrate his bench strength in economic portfolios, since that’s where Harper has said he will also focus.

But Layton will have his hands full in putting together a cohesive opposition, analysts say.

With such a large caucus, he has already had to change his style of consulting. In the past, the leader held wide-open discussions with his much-smaller caucus, settling disagreements among members behind closed doors and then presenting a united front.

But on Tuesday, the round table was replaced with stadium-style seating. The caucus will break into smaller groups on Wednesday afternoon to discuss regional issues.