The orange surge is now being called an orange revolution.
As each new seat was won for the New Democrats May 2, the exuberant Canadian-flag-waving crowd at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre cheered. Each cheer was followed immediately by ferocious boos as the Conservatives crept closer to a majority.
They watched the breathtaking collapse of the Liberals and of the separatist vote in Quebec that led to the historic rise of the NDP, the first time in Canadian history the party has achieved official Opposition status.
By the end of the night, when Jack Layton arrived – waving his cane high in the air and beaming at wife and MP Olivia Chow – his hundreds of slightly deflated supporters had been through the gamut of emotions.