Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff kicked off his party's convention in Vancouver Thursday by simultaneously thanking and slamming his Tory foes.
After all, it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper's risky partisan brinkmanship last fall which marked a turnaround for the Liberals after almost three years in the political wilderness.
"We have a unified party, we have a party out of debt and we have a party basically ready to fight an election," Ignatieff said at a press conference on Thursday.
"And, again, who would have thunk it? Who would've thought that this would be the result. And some of the credit, ironically enough, has to go to my chief adversary, Mr. Stephen Harper."
Last fall, Harper attempted to end public subsidies for political parties, which ignited a fierce response from the opposition and nearly resulted in the Tory's overthrow at the hands of a Liberal - NDP coalition, backed by the Bloc Quebecois.
Not long after the historic showdown, Stephane Dion quit as leader and Ignatieff took the party's helm -- a move which bypassed a potentially divisive leadership race and required rivals Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc to douse their leadership aspirations and step aside.
Since then, polls have tracked a startling reversal for the Liberals. In Quebec, a recent poll suggested that the Grits are now in front of the Bloc Quebecois for the first time in half a decade.
Paul Zed, Ignatieff's chief of staff, said the party is expecting around 2,000 delegates this weekend, which is more than expected.
"The big surprise, so far, is the number of delegates that have paid a lot of money to come and exchange ideas and be part of the renewal that is occurring across the country for the Liberal party," he told CTV's Power Play from Vancouver on Thursday.
Zed also denied Tory claims that the Liberals, if elected, will raise taxes in order to payoff Ottawa's massive stimulus deficit.
"One thing that Michael Ignatieff is going to do, is he's going to cut the deficit and he's going to make sure that Canadians get an opportunity to get jobs right across this country," he said.
"There are no new taxes coming in the middle of a recession, there are no new taxes coming in a recovery."
However, Zed conceded that the Grits will look at ways to "tighten" the government's belt by reviewing some federal programs.
Earlier in the day, CTV's Graham Richardson reported that the Liberals are hoping to further showcase Ignatieff's leadership talents, as well as their readiness for the next election.
According to the Liberal party website, the convention will host series of Thursday afternoon workshops that will tackle riding standards, political engagement and fundraising, among other topics.
The convention continues Friday and will wrap up on Saturday -- the same day that Ignatieff will officially be crowned leader.
Delegates will also vote on 30 resolutions that have been brought forward by riding presidents, including having a Liberal government invest heavily in child care, as well as social housing.
A pre-convention report commissioned by the party, suggested that members see Ignatieff as an agent of change with a "serious interest in party renewal at all levels."
However, the same report said that many grassroots Liberal supporters feel the party currently ignores them unless it is looking for money.
With files from The Canadian Press
