And Just to Reiterate ...

I was chatting with a friend of mine this afternoon, and the subject of Bob Rae's NDP premiership came up in our election talk. I asked her: how old were you when Bob Rae was elected Ontario premier in October 1990? She said she was four years old.

This woman is a tireless NDP campaign worker. She represents a cohort of young people energized by Jack Layton and working to have him and other members of his team elected on Monday. They have no memory of the Rae years, and frankly don't care. It holds no relevance to Jack, to the federal scene, or to the NDP's ability to bring forward its message in the current context, a full two decades after Ontarians took a chance on the province's traditional third party.

Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff, plus all the pundits and political commentators who are trying to create fear and trepidation about the spectre of a strengthened NDP in Ottawa miss this crucial point. If voters under 35 turn out in big numbers, the people who expect an NDP pullback similar to 1988 will be in for a shock.

I don't think it'll happen. The support levels we're seeing in these final days of polling will hold true on voting day. I expect to see the NDP numbers in the 28-33% range when it's all said and done. That will be more than enough to hold the Conservatives to a minority, and to garner the NDP between 60-80 seats.

A fierce repudiation of the Liberals and the Bloc is in process, and will be locked in on Monday. The Tories will not get their coveted majority. 

And Jack Layton will be the only federal leader still in his job by this time next year.