Hundreds of supporters, candidates and even provincial New Democrats packed a Saturday morning rally for Jack Layton and the NDP.
Layton's speech took a definite campaign target - Stephen Harper.
"Stephen Harper is wrong for British Columbia," said Layton. "The choice is Jack Layton or Stephen Harper."
Not once did Layton mention Stephane Dion and the Liberals. It's a message that seems to be working.
The latest polling numbers show the party steadily moving towards the second place Liberals and perhaps even official opposition status.
The Canadian Press/Harris Decima poll out Saturday has the conservatives leading nationally with 38 per cent support and the NDP just four points back of the Liberals for second place. And in B.C., the NDP has moved into second spot with 26 per cent of voters behind them compared to the liberals' 21 per cent.
Analysts say the trend doesn't bode well for the once mighty Liberals.
"I think that they have a very real chance of losing every seat that they have here," says Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason.
Mason insists the Liberals are not going to win the upcoming federal election.
"Now it's a fight for second," he says. "There's even a real possibility the NDP could form the official opposition -- I think that Stephane Dion is probably finished as leader after this election."
While the Liberals aren't ready to admit defeat, some concede the battle is for second place.
"There's absolutely no question that the voters are not inspired by any of the leaders across the country at this point," says Vancouver South Liberal candidate Ujjal Dosanjh.
"We have to be looking as it we're fighting and I'm fighting hard, other candidates are fighting hard on the ground and these are very, very tough battles," says Dosanjh.
The question that remains is whether the trend will continue and what this NDP-Liberal battle will look like come the poll that really counts on Election Day.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart
