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The Conservatives and Liberals trail at 28.6 and 27.6, respectively.

With a margin of error of 2.7 per cent, the poll suggests the upcoming election will be a three-way horse race between Thomas Mulcair’s NDP, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

The preliminary results indicate that 1,362 Canadians were surveyed, which is about half the sample size of other recent polls by EKOS. It is unclear whether the numbers obtained by the Ottawa Citizen were the final results of the poll or whether the survey was extended.

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If the data are accurate, the results debunk months of punditry and previous polls that have repeatedly predicted a two-way battle between the Tories and Grits in the upcoming election.

The new data suggest the NDP experienced a sharp rise in support beginning in late April.

Earlier this month, the NDP scored an historic win in Alberta with leader Rachel Notley ousting the Progressive Conservatives after more than 40 years in power.

The polling results suggest that, like Albertans, Canadians across the country are warming to the orange wave and considering putting the NDP in power for the first time ever.

The sharp uptake in the poll by the NDP is mirrored by a sudden drop in support for the Conservatives and Liberals, who have fought for the lead since Trudeau took the party’s reins.

In the last federal election in 2011, the Conservatives sailed to a majority government while the NDP surged in Quebec, securing the party Official Opposition status in the House of Commons. The Liberals, meanwhile, suffered a colossal loss that has since seen the party re-organize and attempt to rebuild itself.

A federal election is expected this fall.

With files from Glen McGregor, Ottawa Citizen