VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The federal Liberal leadership race is already a crowded one, with the likes of Justin Trudeau and Marc Garneau getting the most attention.

But that hasn’t stopped a Vancouver Crown prosecutor from starting his campaigning early.

In fact, Alex Burton is celebrating the completion of a six-week, 12,000 kilometre zigzag road trip across Canada, while other campaigns are just getting started.

He has yet to officially submit his name in the race, which will be held in April, but he says that is just a formality.

Burton considers the RV he and his team travelled a symbol of the way he sees politics.

“The trip was to demonstrate we can do politics differently. We don’t have to be politicians that say ‘I crossed the country’ and what you really mean is that you got in a plane in Toronto and flew over the country. It’s about stopping, trying to connect with people and listening to them,” he insists.

And they made a point of visiting small towns in the northern parts of the provinces on their return trip to St. John’s, Newfoundland.

“We stopped and we went up and down. We went to small communities, talked to business owners, talked to community organizations, talked to Liberals and non-Liberals. If we are going to rebuild this party, we shouldn’t just be talking to each other.”

And what was the main message he heard as he criss-crossed the country? That jobs and the economy are the most important things to Canadians.