Two opposing members of Parliament are testing the bounds of "love thy neighbour" in the House of Commons this session after finding themselves sharing a desk.

​Under the new Commons seating plan, NDP MP Niki Ashton and Conservative MP Peter Van Loan are just elbow distance away. The seatmates share a desk along the border between the NDP and Conservative territories in the House.

"My first impression was 'uh oh,' " Ashton told CBC Ottawa's All in a Day.

The representative for the riding of Churchill–Keewatinook Aski said she initially got a chilly reception when she introduced herself to her seatmate.

"I was a little bit stunned because I just assumed there was going to be a Conservative sitting there," said York–Simcoe MP Van Loan. "But things are good so far."

NDP MP Niki Ashton and Conservative MP Peter Van Loan have something in common in the House of Commons these days: they're sharing a desk. They joined Alan Neal to talk about the unusual seating plan. 12:05

Inadvertent elbowing

Both MPs say they're now taking the cramped space in stride.

"You can move a little bit," Ashton said. "There's inadvertent elbowing for sure."

NDP MP Niki Ashton (red jacket) shares a space with Conservative MP Peter Van Loan, which causes a few complications. (CBC)

"That's how I try and make it look," Van Loan responded.

Coming from different political parties, Ashton and Van Loan often find themselves taking opposing sides on issues. Ashton was one of the NDP MPs who tried to force a debate on a national inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women. Van Loan called it "a diversion for the gullible."

Still, Van Loan says there are things that unite them.

"The reason why Conservatives and New Democrats, I think, have historically been able to get along — notwithstanding that they want to expropriate all our property and give it to other people — is that they actually believe in something. We actually believe in something," he said.

No fights, yet

Camaraderie aside, Van Loan is also cheery about having slightly more space sitting next to Ashton. His last seatmate was the "athletic" former Conservative MP Peter MacKay.

"I feel like I'm sitting in executive class," Van Loan said.

The "politically odd couple," as Ashton calls them, haven't had many fights yet about space.

"We haven't yet gotten to that point of those university roommates where we draw a line down the middle," said Van Loan. Although he did say that so far, Ashton's side is more cluttered.

Camera angles

Because they share a microphone, Van Loan said there's a temptation to make "goofy" remarks while the other is speaking. But it's a two-way street.

"In addition to the demilitarized zone, we have to have a kind of entente cordiale peace between us," he said.

They also have to be aware of camera angles. When Ashton stands up to applaud a colleague's point, Van Loan is left sitting.

"She voted the wrong way today and I was stunned," Van Loan said.

It was "the right way, the left way," quipped Ashton.

The shared space also means they have to be careful about what they leave on their desk.

"I was working today earlier on a document, our secret plan to defeat Niki Ashton in Churchill, and my staffer said you can't bring that down," Van Loan said.