Developing themes

Perhaps even more interesting than the national party polling numbers are Ipsos Reid's polls surrounding the party's campaign message so far. And at first glance, the story seems to be that none of the parties is managing to reach more than about a third of respondents in trying to define themselves:

On the core theme of the Harper campaign, that he would provide "steady leadership in tough economic times," 52 per cent rejected that notion, while 35 per cent agreed.

Respondents kicked the legs out from under Layton's core pitch to voters that he is the leader who "will act on the priorities at the kitchen table instead of the boardroom table," with 45 per cent disagreeing versus 35 per cent who agreed.
...
Dion's core theme -- that his Green Shift plan makes him the most credible candidate on the environment and the economy -- was rejected by 55 per cent, compared with only 30 per cent that accepted it.

But it's also worth paying attention to how successful the parties have been in defining their competitors. And on that point, it looks like the NDP's framing of Harper has been right on the money:

Meanwhile, while most Canadians agree Harper is a strong leader, a sizable number say they are uncomfortable with his leadership. Fifty-five per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that "Stephen Harper may be a strong leader, but he's not the kind of leader that I'm comfortable with."

Now, that's significant enough in what it means for how Harper is seen by a majority of respondents.

But even more importantly, the number also signals that most respondents are in agreement with the New Democrats' message on what figures to be the main ballot question - which can only give them more reason to take a closer look at where else they may agree with the NDP. And the more Layton can link the consensus view of Harper to the second half of his main theme (that he's in the best position to stand up for the interests of most Canadians), the more likely it'll be that the latter part of the New Democrats' message will gain traction as the campaign progresses.