There's a subtle rebranding going on in the NDP camp, one that may look familar if you've been following the latest rhetoric from American politics.

No longer are the NDP the New Democratic Party. In speeches and party communications, they're now referring to themselves as New Democrats. Like American Democrats, but newer. And Canadian.

The NDP message this campaign will be relying on a couple of other borrowed buzz words, too: Hope and Change.

These are the words that sustained U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign. Or at least the ideals those words evoked. And if they worked for Barack, why not for Jack?

"Winds of change are blowing south of the border and many Canadians are catching that sense of optimism,"
Layton said at his campaign kickoff in Gatineau, Que.

"I'll be a prime minister who'll bring change."

Indeed, he drew the parallels with the American campaign a little more directly in French, asking voters to say "bye bye" to George Bush and Stephen Harper."

The change message seemed to resonate, at least with some of Layton's supporters. One of them was spotted wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo "Be the change."
— James Cudmore