QUEBEC - The latest voter-intention polls to come out of Quebec provide an interesting glimpse of a changing political landscape in la belle province.

In what has become a 'first' for Canadian electoral politics, the NDP now finds themselves as the party of choice in Quebec - by a sizable margin. The latest poll pegs their support at 36 percent - a full 5 percent ahead of the Bloc, who trail at 31 percent. This means that this poll is quite significant, and is not merely a victim of margin of error thresholds. The Liberals and Tories are both essentially watching this race from the sidelines, with their support at 13 and 17 percent respectively.

While this is technically a first for the NDP, perhaps one should not be terribly surprised by these emerging trends. Indeed, seasoned observers of Canadian electoral politics have recognized for some time that it is the NDP's policies that really show the most congruency with Quebec society. Of course, the Bloc have always tacitly advanced Quebec's interests above all else - but a vote for the Bloc has always been a protest vote. As a regional party the Bloc never have a chance of forming government, whereas the NDP is a national party and they run a full slate of candidates.

Upon closer inspection it is clear that Jack Layton has been working hard over the past several years to improve his party's standing in Quebec. He has made it clear that Quebec would stand to benefit from his brand of social policy. And this is largely true - Layton's expansive government programs would surely cater to Quebec, without the stigma of the whole 'Separatist thing'.

It would be a mistake to assume that all recent Bloc supporters are ardent separatists - rather, many simply want more perks for Quebec. Accordingly, the NDP has managed to tap this well of support - the same support that led to the election of Thomas Mulcair in the Outremont riding in the previous go 'round. If they are able to parlay their current levels of support into electoral success in the province it would surely be quite the coup. Regardless of political stripes, many Canadians would also rejoice if the threat of Quebec separation were not raised on a weekly basis - and this is something that could come about if the Bloc fail to increase their mandate.

The NDP must navigate the final stages of the campaign very carefully and avoid risking their newfound support. After all, Bloc supporters tend to be very active voters - meaning that an election day swing is a very real possibility.

The Liberals and Conservatives will not be lying down over the next week and a half, but it is looking more and more like a two-horse race.