When You've Got Them By The Balls Squeeze 'Em Until They Pop.

Look, no one can argue the point that the NDP is in this game to get results for people and everyone should be in favour of that. You may not like the cost or the nature of the program but putting people first, à la Bill Clinton, is never a bad idea.

Singh is pushing the Liberals on paid sick leave and has won at least the battle, if not the war. Trudeau's initial plan seemingly was only to cover those who were ill due to COVID-19 but the NDP has improved on that -- after negotiations it seems that the program will be far more encompassing -- but not exactly across the board. 

This is a hill that Singh was prepared to die on if a deal was not reached. We all know that the NDP is basically broke so it comes as no surprise to anyone that when the rubber hits the road that the party has no stomach for an election. With that said, Singh has a golden opportunity here to keep the Liberals' feet to the fire and to increase his demands going forward over the next three years. It's basically his job now to force the Liberals into turning this into a universal program, come hell or high water. 

What Singh has got now is apparently not global in nature nor is it permanent. That's precisely where Round Two of the ball squeezing should go. Otherwise, what's the point?

As a Red Tory, or a progressive Conservative, I could live with an NDP government. It certainly wouldn't be woe is me time and we'd all see what the NDP could deliver. Where I would have trouble would be if they turned into the next Trump -- ballooning deficits and debts to kingdom come -- that's where I'd get off the train and fast.

Then there's the other thing, you know, how polls react to Liberal-NDP deals that keep incumbent prime ministers in power. In this round, NDP fortunes were going up as the Liberals ticked down. You also saw the Conservatives gaining but that's beside the point for the purpose of this demonstration.

But the minute a deal is made, Liberals tend to rise while NDPers are subject to a drop. Put another way, why ditch the Liberals if the NDP is hell bent on acting almost like Liberals? So, there you go. In short, there comes a point where Singh and Company are either serious about being a contender for government, or they're not. That moment will ultimately come, as it almost always inevitably does in a minority parliament and the NDP will have to pull the plug. Maybe it'll be in their interest and perhaps not. But either way, when the people finally signal that they want Trudeau out, Singh and the NDP had better be on the right side of that trade. Otherwise...kaboom!