Tom Mulcair says the NDP is a 'government in waiting'

Canadians want change and the federal New Democrats are the party prepared to make good on their promises if they form the next government, says NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, who is in Edmonton for a two-day meeting with his caucus.

Mulcair rallied the troops on Wednesday ahead of what is expected to be a year of campaigning before the next federal election in October 2015.

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"Now Canadians are looking at the NDP as they never looked at us before — as a government in waiting," Mulcair said in a rousing speech to his caucus.

"We've been showing Canadians that we are ready to take on Stephen Harper's Conservatives and they now know that this team has the leadership and the experience to form government tomorrow morning." 

While the election is still over a year away, Mulcair said for all intents and purposes the election campaign has already begun.

The New Democrats tested a new campaign slogan which they unveiled in Edmonton today: "Change that's ready."

"People want change which means they don't want to go back to the same thing which is being told they have to alternate between the Liberals and the Conservatives," Mulcair told reporters gathered in Edmonton Wednesday afternoon.

While political parties typically do not reveal their campaign platforms until the writ is dropped, Mulcair said "as a matter of respect for voters" the NDP has and will continue to roll out "concrete" proposals on child care, health care funding and a federal minimum wage, just to name a few.

"People are tired of talking points, they're fed up with partisan attacks, they don't want empty phrases and platitudes, they want things that are real.

"So we are going to be rolling them out one by one," Mulcair said.