VANCOUVER - Jack Layton wants provincial premiers on side as his New Democrats use their newfound status in Parliament to push for strengthened public pensions.
The newly-minted leader of Canada's Official Opposition gave his first major speech Thursday since his party's stunning election result last week, saying the NDP will tackle the "looming retirement security crisis" when Parliament resumes.
"Regardless of which party you represent," he said, addressing the premiers, "when it comes to strengthening pensions, you have an ally in Ottawa."
Layton was speaking in front of a euphoric crowd of 2,400 delegates to the Canadian Labour Congress convention.
He told reporters later that his strategy for improving the Canada Pension Plan will be to rally support from policymakers, like the premiers, and the grassroots.
He described his party's Opposition status as the largest in 31 years.
"The first thing is to work with people across the country to put pressure on the Stephen Harper government when they're not doing the right thing," Layton said in explaining how he plans to ensure the NDP agenda doesn't manifest as just noise across the floor.
Analysts have suggested that despite having more seats, the party might find it actually has less ability to exert influence now that the Tories have a majority.
The NDP wracked up triple the seats won by the former Opposition Liberals during the election earlier this month.
Layton said getting the concerns of middle-class families and seniors heard by the government will be his party's chief focus, and that starts with pension reform.
"When Canadians across the country and other leaders, for example provincial premiers, and others are pushing for that kind of change at the same time as we are in the House of Commons and across the country, you can make governments move. We've seen this before."
But despite his optimistic outlook, Layton grew prickly when asked point blank if, for the next election, he would ensure all his party's candidates had been to their ridings.
"That's a completely hypothetical question," Layton snapped before diverting to the next question.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau conducted a carefully managed visit to her Quebec riding for the first time Wednesday. She had been criticized for never having been there before and for taking a family holiday in the middle of the campaign.
Layton also manoeuvred around a question asking how he'd get his new Quebec caucus to sell his pension proposal there, when the province has been reluctant to agree to an expansion of the Quebec Pension Plan.
"We're very optimistic that a way can be developed to have both of those pension plans improved, working in a very collaborative fashion," he replied, noting he believed Quebeckers backed his party so strongly in the election because action on pensions was a key plank.
The NDP favours an expansion of the Canada Pension Plan so that benefits eventually double.
The Conservatives prefer a private-sector solution that would relax rules for financial institutions, allowing them to offer more options at affordable rates, especially to people who are not covered by workplace pensions right now.
Harper wanted mandatory expansion of the CPP a year ago, but has since backed off that position, arguing the necessary provincial support hasn't materialized.
Many provinces have suggested they do want action on the CPP, excluding Alberta and Quebec.
In his only other public appearance since the election, Layton told a popular Quebec talk show his priorities for the next parliamentary session include tabling legislation that protects French-speaking employees in federally regulated industries.
