Leaders of the provincial Liberal and NDP parties spoke in downtown Vancouver today to rally their troops for the upcoming May election.

Gordon Campbell and Carole James both told supporters the campaign will involve a lot of hard work but their parties are ready to go.

“We have 45 days - 45 days where I expect every candidate to work tirelessly to take the message out,” said Campbell, speaking at the Fairmount Vancouver.

Campbell criticized the NDP’s plan to increase small business payroll by 25-35 per cent, saying the party has no understanding of what small businesses are going through.

He said the NDP are trying to distract voters from what he thinks is the main issue facing B.C. - the economy.

“They will do anything except for deal with the one major issue that we have to be concerned about in British Columbia today,” Campbell said.

Carole James spoke to supporters at the Empire Landmark Hotel and said the NDP is ready to hit the doorsteps around the province.

“In just 45 days, with your help and the work of every candidate up here, we’re going to say we’ve had enough of Gordon Campbell and the Liberals in British Columbia,” she said.

James criticized the premier on the Burnaby jail proposal and the issues surrounding the sale of BC Rail, saying the Liberal government has avoided addressing these matters.

“The Premier wants to duck and hide and I expect we’ll see what we saw last time, which is Gordon Campbell and all of his candidates running away into the campaign bubble,” James said.

Morgan J. Modjeski is a reporter for The Hook.