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NDP leader Thomas Mulcair reacts and responds to the popularity of Justin Trudeau

For almost three days, at the NDP policy convention in Montreal, Thomas Mulcair and the New Democrats tried to avoid the "L" word — the "L word being Liberals, of course.

Organizers instead wanted to focus on attacking the Conservatives and re-jigging their own brand — delegates passed a resolution omitting overt references to socialism in the preamble to their constitution.

[ Related: NDP looks towards 2015 with softer language in party books ]

On Sunday, in a post-conference media scrum, just hours before the Liberals were about to name their new leader, Mulcair was, however, forced to talked about the 'elephant in the room': the Justin Trudeau Liberals.

[ Related: Thomas Mulcair survives NDP confidence vote on his leadership ]

For a leader of a party who is taking a dive in the polls, he certainly seems confident.

Here are some excerpts from the scrum:

On the election of a new Liberal leader:

[The person they elect today] will be their seventh leader in ten years so they have a lot of problems, a lot of things they still have to resolve.

We have a mature political party. We're standing up in a very structured way to the Harper Conservatives.

We're the only ones that can really replace them in 2015.

On Trudeau's popularity in polls:

We're referring back to the same polling companies that in 2011 had us in fourth place here in Quebec a few days before the last election.

But I'll tell you this: if you looked at the reality of the situation, the next election is not in two days, it's not in two weeks, it's not in two months. The next election is in 2.5 years.

We know exactly what we have to do with Stephen Harper.

On cooperation with the Liberal Party:

The NDP already tried that approach. We proposed a coalition[in 2009], the Liberals went back on their word. And now it's up to us to run in 338 ridings across the country and to give up no ground to Mr. Harper because he's our main opponent. We have to replace him at all costs.

On how the NDP can form government:

The NDP is going to form government in 2015. The way we're going to do it is to reach out beyond our traditional base, talk to progressives across the country, connect with Canadians that share our goals and share our visions.

Holding [the Conservatives] to account, showing their shortcomings, whether it's the ethical lapses that's led to three resignations during the past year..., showing that on substantive issues of public administration like the F-35 fiasco that they're simply not up to the task.

(Photo courtesy of Reuters)

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