NDP leader Thomas Mulcair hinted at how he would help London’s hard-hit manufacturing sector as prime minister, but gave few specifics at a rally in the city Thursday aimed at energizing local New Democrats ahead of the Oct. 19 federal vote.

“I will be a champion for new investment and new jobs and we’ll kick-start Canada’s auto and manufacturing sector,” he told the crowd packed into a ballroom of the London Convention Centre. “And over the coming weeks, I will be announcing more details to help kick-start our auto sector.

“I will never waver from a rock-solid commitment to work with the automakers and to work with the province to attract investment in auto assembly in this great city. Because I believe the best days are ahead for manufacturing in Ontario – together we can get London and Southwest Ontario on track,” Mulcair, framed by a giant red maple leaf, added.

Mulcair’s appearance was part of a campaign-style swing through Southwestern Ontario. It had the feel of a shakedown cruise to test themes and fine-tune the party’s message.

Perhaps the biggest cheer of the hour-long rally came when Mulcair announced he would repair the cuts made to Canada Post and restore day-to-day mail delivery, which is now being phased out to more than 40,000 London households getting new community mailboxes.

Mulcair also took a page out of candidate Barack Obama’s play book, promising to replace Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s politics of fear and division with hope and optimism.

“Are you ready to bring change to Ottawa?” Irene Mathyssen, the London-Fanshawe MP and the NDP’s only London-region legislator in Ottawa, had asked while warming the crowd up for Mulcair.

Mulcair’s New Democrats have been riding high in the pre-election polls, with recent surveys suggesting they are neck-in-neck with the ruling Conservatives.

Mulcair also promised to restore the retirement age to 65, bring in a $15 an hour federal minimum wage and increase infrastructure funding to shorten commute times for London drivers.

He left the attacks on Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to his surrogates, concentrating his own fire on Harper.

More than a few people in the crowd wore NDP-orange T-shirts.

Also in attendance was at least one London Liberal candidate, Peter Fragiskatos, who is running in London North Centre. Both the Liberals and New Democrats are apparently targeting the same voters.

“I think this is the first election where the middle class will be the focus,” Fragiskatos said.

In a sign of the changing political times, even a Twitter hashtag — #TMFORPM — got a cheer when Mathssyen asked the crowd to share Mulcair’s message with their online friends and followers.

The Tories hold all but one seat in the 10-riding London region, but three veteran Conservative MPs are retiring when the fall election is called. They include MP Joe Preston in Elgin-Middlesex-London.

Dan.Brown@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/DanatLFPress