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OTTAWA — The leader of the New Democrats said on Tuesday he is willing to form a coalition in order to take power after the next election, even as the other opposition party leader, Liberal Justin Trudeau, played down the idea.

The possibility of a coalition would have implications for whether Stephen Harper can stay on as Prime Minister after the 2015 election in the event he loses his current majority.

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Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals now hold just 36 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons. But polls suggest the party could win the most seats in the election scheduled for October 2015, while falling short of a majority.

“We’ve always said we’re ready to work with other parties. We’re a progressive party. We want to get results,” NDP leader Thomas Mulcair told reporters when asked if he would be willing to form a coalition with Mr. Trudeau after the election.

He pointed out that he was part of the NDP team that proposed in 2008 to oust Mr. Harper — who then had only a minority of seats — by forming a coalition with the Liberal party, backed with an agreement of support from the separatist Bloc Quebecois.