 However, this was still a smaller percentage than Broadbent had won in 1988 due to the increased number of MPs now represented in the House of Commons.During the election campaign, Mulcair's stance on the niqab issue contributed to a decline in the party's support in Quebec.Following the election, Mulcair was criticized by some NDP members for having run on a moderate platform and promised to balance the federal budget whilst Justin Trudeau and the Liberals promised to run budget deficits in order to pay for social spending and economic stimulus programs; a position that was viewed as allowing the Liberals to outflank the NDP on the left of the political scale.