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OTTAWA — Shoe, meet the other foot.

The coming week will be a study in role reversal as federal New Democrats and Liberals hold simultaneous caucus retreats to plot strategy for the fall sitting of Parliament.

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After a tumultuous, roller-coaster year, the NDP’s 101 MPs are viewing their meeting in St. John’s, N.L., as a chance to move forward with calm deliberation and, finally, some stability.

They aim to cement their claim as the only credible alternative to the Harper government and set an ambitious course for defeating the Conservatives in the next election in 2015.

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The tiny Liberal caucus, meanwhile, will be meeting at a resort in Montebello, Que., grappling with how to maintain a parliamentary presence while up to a fifth of its 35 MPs plunge into a lengthy, existential leadership contest.

A year ago, it was the NDP, reeling from the untimely death of Jack Layton, that was facing an uncertain future. Its most experienced MPs were preparing to launch leadership campaigns, leaving untested novices to hold down the parliamentary fort.