While the writ hasn’t dropped, the B.C. election campaign has unofficially begun as B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon stopped in Cranbrook this weekend as part of a listening tour.

During a media availability, Falcon spoke at length on the state of the political landscape and the issues facing British Columbians as voters are set to cast their ballots in October.

Falcon also addressed the defection of B.C. United MLA Lorne Doerkson, the party’s caucus chair elected out of the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding, who crossed the floor to the B.C. Conservative Party on May 31.

“Obviously I’m disappointed in Lorne, but at the end of the day, Lorne made that decision, he’ll have to defend it,” Falcon said. “He’s scared and he’s worried about polls and I understand that, but for us, principles and values are actually really important.

“To have somebody that we’ve heard internally talk about how appalled he is by the B.C. Conservatives’ positions, especially on socially conservative issues, to then walk over and join that party is obviously disappointing, but he’ll have to defend that to his constituents and his community.”

If polls are to be believed, the outcome doesn’t look great for B.C. United.

The latest offering from Angus Reid, published on May 30, has the B.C. NDP ahead at 41 per cent, followed by the B.C. Conservative Party at 30 per cent and BC United at 16 per cent and the B.C. Green Party at 11 per cent among those whose voting intentions have already been decided.

However, polls can be fickle, as Falcon threaded his media availability with themes of building a coalition representing the entire spectrum of interests for British Columbians.

“The NDP under David Eby are too extreme on the left, and the B.C. Conservative Party, which is not connected to the federal party at all, are too extreme on the right,” said Falcon.