NDP Leader Jack Layton told his followers Friday the party is ready for the writ to drop.
Mr. Layton has spent the past few weeks travelling the country, talking to voters. And "along the way, in riding after riding, I've been touching base with our election teams on the ground," he said. "Folks, we are ready."
Although he did not expressly issue an ultimatum in his half-hour address, the release that accompanied the speech was entitled: "Layton to Harper: Start helping families or face an election."
The Conservatives have shown some interest recently in building bridges with the NDP, a relationship that could, theoretically, get Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government through the coming budget unscathed if the NDP Leader could demonstrate he had earned concessions.
Mr. Layton may well be feeling some pressure from Liberals, who will attempt to poach votes by appealing to left-leaning Canadians whose overarching priority is to unseat the Conservative government. If they are successful, they could drain significant support from both the NDP and the Greens.
So it is up to Mr. Layton to convince those who have supported his party in previous elections that his team will be able to mount a forceful campaign. Earlier this week, the New Democrats unveiled their new Ottawa election war room.
NDP candidates, he said, are focused on people's real needs, not political games in Ottawa. They are "candidates who are ready to defeat Conservatives right across this country – so yes, we're ready for an election, and I need each of you to stay ready to fine-tune our preparations."
Mr. Layton also tore a strip off the other parties for playing what he called political games.
"Take Stephen Harper – with his trademark, nasty attack ads. Two new ones just yesterday," he said. Those ads, directed at Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, took Mr. Ignatieff's quotes out of context to suggest he wanted a "needless election' and "job-killing taxes."
"Then there's Mr. Ignatieff, whose Liberals supported those corporate tax cuts that took effect on the first of January – taking investment away from people's real priorities," Mr. Layton said. "Now twenty-something days later, Mr. Ignatieff wants Canadians to believe he's dead set against them."
Starting Monday, the political games should be put on hold, Mr. Layton said. "With a little co-operation from all parties, these are things we can work on right now – shoring up public pensions; making life more affordable; steps forward on health care."