Ontario's New Democrats seem hopeful they're finally on the brink of emerging from the political wilderness that they were consigned to after the unpopular government of Bob Rae was toppled in 1995.
They released what they call a "practical" election platform during their convention on the weekend that they hope appeals to a broader base than that traditionally targeted by the left-of-centre party.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who released the bulk of her party's promises for the fall election over the weekend, described her plan as a "reasonable, practical and affordable" one that deals with the concerns of people across all political spectrums.
"When you're bringing forward ideas to bring change to the province of Ontario, you're bringing change for all of the people," Ms. Horwath said.
"You're making the kind of change that people - regardless of what past political leanings they might have had - are going to embrace."
The recent success of the federal New Democrats, who gained a record 103 seats in Parliament last month and became the official Opposition in Ottawa, has helped make the provincial NDP a more credible alternative, Ms. Horwath added.
She also dismissed suggestions that Ontarians may be reluctant to vote for the NDP after Bob Rae's unpopular tenure as premier that reduced the party to fewer than 20 seats and left it a distant third place party in the legislature for the last decade.
Neither those memories nor the current debate over the word "socialism," which is causing a lot of concern at the federal level, should hurt the provincial New Democrats, she said.
"I don't think people care so much about ideology or political stripes these days," said Ms. Horwath. "People want to see the kind of change that puts them first, and that's what we're offering."
The New Democrats have been gaining support in the polls, a surge that is making both the Liberals and Tories nervous. Both parties were on hand Saturday to react to the NDP's platform release, with the Liberals also scheduling a big infrastructure announcement last Friday, when Ms. Horwath kicked off a weekend convention.
The Progressive Conservatives were also out in full force with a door-knocking campaign over the weekend.
Henry Jacek, a politics professor at McMaster University, said the Liberals have reason to fret about the NDP.
Both the party and Ms. Horwath herself have seen a spike in popularity, he said.
It's been a slow but steady climb that's not too dissimilar from the path of the party's federal cousins - and one that may position the NDP well to make gains down the road.
"There's about 15 to 20 seats where the NDP is within striking distance," said Mr. Jacek.
"And it's less likely that at the end of this campaign people will leave the party to go the Liberals because they'll view the NDP as credible and a serious player."
While Ms. Horwath insists she's in the election to win, experts also agree that doubling their seats to 20 spots in the legislature would be enough of a victory for a party that was reduced to nine seats in the 1999 general election and temporarily lost official party status until 2004.
In its platform, the NDP promises to merge the province's electricity bureaucracies and cap CEO salaries to find savings that can be invested into programs as well as into the province's deficit. The party is matching the Liberals' and Tories' promise to balance the province's books by 2017.
The plan targets several affordability and health care measures, such as phasing the HST off gasoline, increasing the minimum wage to $11 and cutting emergency wait times in half.
It also vows to scrap Local Health Integration Networks and replace them with another local decision-making body, eliminate the wait list for long-term care or home care and forgive the student debt of new doctors who practice in under serviced communities, bringing 200 new doctors over four years to those areas.
The NDP plan makes no mention of education or a strategy for the province's north, and barely touches on the environment - issues that will be addressed in separate announcements throughout the summer.
It has already promised to freeze transit fares, remove the HST from hydro and home heating bills, raise corporate taxes and remove ambulance fees for people who need to be transported to hospital.