NDP leads federal parties in Quebec

The Globe and Mail:

The NDP has long been an afterthought in Quebec politics.

But the latest public opinion poll puts the party in second place in the province, ahead of the Liberals and Conservatives as the first choice among federalist parties. The NDP’s latest choice of candidates – two former union bosses and a lawyer fighting uranium exploration – also shows the extent to which it is trying to challenge the Bloc Québécois for the hearts of left-leaning Quebeckers.

The NDP’s positioning is not a coincidence, as economic issues are front and centre in Quebec in the lead-up to Tuesday’s tabling of the federal budget.

Many experts predict that few seats will change hands in the province in the next election, but the NDP is hoping to create a thirst for change and grow beyond its one-member Quebec caucus. The goal is to take advantage of any further collapse in Liberal support or a tiring of Bloc supporters, and to grab a larger share of the anti-Harper vote.

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