The writ has dropped and the provincial election campaign is officially underway. Here is a breakdown of all the parties and their leaders and what they are promising as voters head to the polls next month.

David Eby and the NDP started their day at the Canada-U.S. border, where standing up to Donald Trump was the backdrop of their campaign.

Eby promised to expand the recruitment of U.S. health-care workers and lure Canadian doctors in the U.S. back north. 

“We are going to have three times the resources going into the recruitment of U.S. health-care professionals; we will be expanding this program into red states,” Eby said.  

“There’s another group of people we want to target. There are Canadians who are working in American health care right now, and I am sure they feel a deep unease.”

But Eby will have fewer colleagues behind him going into this election, with Brenda Bailey adding her name to the list of high-profile MLAs announcing they will not be seeking re-election.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Conservatives are trying to put up a united front, with defectors re-joining the party under the interim leadership of Lorne Doerkson, who will remain at the helm and serve as premier if the party forms government.

“I want to thank my friend Peter Milobar and everyone who joined us in this push forward against 10 years of NDP mismanagement in this province,” Doerkson said.

And if things weren’t confusing enough, former Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver has thrown his name in as a candidate for Oak Bay-Gordan under CentreBC, now led by former Conservative-turned-Independent Elenore Sturko.

“After I found out the people who came from the Cons went back, I thought, really? Is that what this has come to in B.C. politics?” Weaver said.

“It’s not about Trump that I’m standing here. It’s about cynicism in politics, and that has to be called out. And I hope the people of B.C. vote for candidates who actually show integrity and are honest about why they’re entering the race.”

Meanwhile, BC Greens Leader Emily Lowan will be trying to secure her first seat in Saanich North and the Islands, with Rob Botterell stepping aside after his two years representing the riding. 

“The BC Greens have a bold platform to bring down people’s costs and ensure we can find good sustainable work and have a strong economical foundation that will be resilient to threats from the U.S. and the climate crisis in the next decades,” Lowan said.

Anyone wishing to run in the election has until Oct. 3 to hand in their nomination papers, with the provincial election slated for Oct. 24.