VANCOUVER—A frustrated Michael Ignatieff threw his attacks on Stephen Harper into high gear Monday, rhyming off what he said were “stupid” Conservative government decisions and questioning why Canadians have accepted Harper's rule for five years.

“With six days left in the campaign, it's time for a little righteous anger,” Ignatieff told more than 500 people at a packed town hall meeting in Vancouver.

Ignatieff said the Conservatives have run up a huge deficit, damaged Canadian democracy, failed to tackle climate change and hurt Canada's international reputation — but Harper “might get away with it” in the election “unless we get angry.”

His frustration clearly reflected the diminished standing of the Liberals in opinion polls. With less than a week before voting day, the Liberals are in danger of falling into third place behind the surging New Democrats while the Conservatives retain a steady first-place lead.

Ignatieff has said throughout the campaign that he wants to maintain a respectable tone in the election debate. But he appears to have abandoned that approach in favour of a blunt, hard-hitting style capped by a call for Canadians to “rise up” and oust Harper from power.

Talking about government waste under the Conservatives, he told the audience that the $1.2 billion spent on the G8/G20 summits last summer “will endure in history as the stupidest decision any government has made with your money.”

He said the Conservatives are being “mendacious” by not telling taxpayers the full cost of the F-35 fighter jets Harper has decided to buy. By some estimates, the planes would cost $30 billion. But Ignatieff said, “Not even President (Barack) Obama knows what this is going to cost. The program is out of control.”

Igantieff said the Conservatives are putting off help for Canadian families while he goes ahead with $6 billion a year in corporate income tax cuts. Harper is telling average Canadians they have to wait because “I got to give my buddies a break,” Ignatieff said.

He called the Conservatives decision to spend billions of dollars building new prisons “a really dumb thing to do” and questioned how Harper, whose government converted a $13-billion budget surplus into a $40-billion deficit, wins points for economic management. “I don't know where they got the reputation for competence from,” Ignatieff said of the Conservatives. “I don't understand it.”

He also poked fun at Harper's warning to Canadians that, without a Conservative majority government, the country will face a dangerous period of instability. “Give me a majority or the sky will fall,” Ignatieff said, mimicking Harper.

Baffled that Ignatieff has not had more success winning Canadians over in the past month, the Liberals have been searching for a strategy to shake up the political situation before May 2. Party strategists seemed pleased to see their leader taking off the gloves in the final days of the campaign.