Premier Gordon Campbell brushed off poll results released today that show his British Columbia Liberal Party has slipped eight percentage points behind the New Democratic Party since the May 12 election.

“I'm really glad the [next] election's in 2013, I can tell you that much,” he said.

“I don't pay a lot of attention to these polls,” he said. “I've been doing this for a long time and you know often it's very difficult to make the right choices. Sometimes the right choices aren't the popular ones, so if you try to be popular you're not going to do what's right for British Columbia. I try to do what's right.”

The Mustel Group poll put support for the Liberals at 38 percent, a drop from the 46 percent of the popular vote they received in the May 12 election. The NDP's support grew to 46 percent of those polled, up from their 42 percent of votes on election day.

The poll also found that 56 percent of respondents disapproved of Premier Gordon Campbell's performance, while just 36 percent approved.

Campbell said he plans to run again in 2013.

Update, 3:00 p.m.:

“People are angry,” said NDP leader Carole James when asked about the Mustel poll results. “They feel betrayed. Their trust was broken by this government.”

The government tried to sneak plans for the Harmonized Sales Tax out in the summer, but controversy around it is not fading, she said. “This government wasn't honest with them. They lied to them during the campaign. I think it's pretty clear the poll reflects that anger.”

James said she also plans to run again in 2013.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.