EDMONTON—Partisan jabs, policy promises and the lure of tax breaks, all proof that while election day is still 13 months away, Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats have begun their election campaigns to win over Canadians.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair made no secret that a caucus meeting here this week marked the launch of the party’s efforts to vault from official Opposition to government in the 2015 election.

In a keynote speech to his MPs Thursday, Mulcair vowed that New Democrats would deliver “real change” compared to the years of Liberal and Conservative rule that have seen incomes stagnate and families fall behind.

“Canadians need a team that’s ready to work for them,” he said.

“Conservatives have abandoned the most basic responsibilities of government,” Mulcair said, citing lapses in the care of veterans, food safety and concerns over rail transport.

But he saved his sharpest jab for Justin Trudeau — whom he didn’t name — as he echoed a criticism levelled by the Conservatives that the Liberal leader isn’t ready to lead the nation.

“I’m sorry, prime minister just isn’t an entry-level job,” Mulcair said.

“After nine long years of Conservative policies, Canadians just can’t afford to wait for someone who’s getting ready to take on Stephen Harper,” he said.

“We’re taking on Stephen Harper and his policies right now.”

Thursday had the feel of a day on the campaign trail. As Mulcair was speaking in the Alberta capital, Finance Minister Joe Oliver was in Toronto unveiling a cut to employment insurance premiums for small businesses, the first in a series of tax breaks expected from the Conservatives as the federal coffers return to surplus.

And Trudeau was speaking to a packed house of 300 students at Western University in London, moving later in the day to speak to students at Fanshawe College.

Monday’s return of Parliament sets the stage for a busy political season and starts the countdown to the next vote, now scheduled for Oct. 19, 2015.

While Prime Minister Stephen Harper has the option to go to the polls anytime he wants — some have speculated the spring, after a budget filled with election goodies — NDP strategists believe that Harper will stick with the fall date.

Bruce Anderson, chairman of Abacus Data, says at this stage, the election is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ever.

“These are three very effective political leaders running parties that are probably better-equipped and funded and organized than they ever have been,” Anderson said in an interview.

He cautions that despite the NDP boasts they are ready to form government, many voters still have their doubts that the New Democrats are a government in waiting.

“They probably haven’t persuaded enough people yet that they are ready to take office,” Anderson said.

Adding to that is the perception that the New Democrats are to the left of where Canadian viewpoints traditionally lie. “This is a body politic that tends to like the Goldilocks solution — not too hard, not too soft,” Anderson said of Canadian voters.

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Another challenge for the NDP will be the frustration of living in shadow of Trudeau and the Liberals, who despite their third-place ranking in the Commons have been leading in the polls.

While Mulcair has shown “remarkable” skills as opposition leader and enjoys “pretty positive” perceptions in the eyes of voters, he’s hurt by the fact his rival is drawing even more attention, Anderson said.

“They need to create more interest in their narrative,” he said.

The New Democrats understand that challenge. That’s why voters can expect the party to unveil their election promises months before the campaign begins.

On Thursday, Mulcair previewed some of the NDP priorities — child care, health care, job creation, renewable energy and investments in infrastructure, pledging to be a “partner” with cities.

“Our cities and communities are at the heart of our economy, they’re at the heart of our country and they’re at the heart of our success in the 21st century,” Mulcair said.

That was driven home by Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson who spoke to NDP MPs about urban needs.

“I think any party that wants to form government in the next election is going to have to be a party of the cities,” Iveson said, noting that two-thirds of Canadians live in 22 large cities.

Mulcair also said an NDP government would deliver a national child-care program and said the party will reveal this fall its proposal to move “step-by-step” to the early learning and child-care model based on Quebec’s $7-a-day model.

Slamming both the Liberals and the Conservatives for failing to make good on their own pledges to create child-care spaces, Mulcair said the NDP plan will be good for the economy and families.

“New Democrats are proud to be the only party committed to quality, affordable, accessible childcare,” he said.

And Mulcair painted both parties as cut from the same cloth, saying only the NDP can offer “real change.”

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