By a narrow margin the BC New Democratic Party elected Adrian Dix as its new leader on Sunday, April 17.
Dix, a former health critic and MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway, won the vote by fewer than 700 votes in the third round against second-place Mike Farnworth. Dix was ahead in votes throughout the three rounds, finishing with a total of 9,772 votes (52 per cent) versus Farnworth’s 9,095 votes (48 per cent). Dana Larson did not manage to make it past the first round. Dix spoke in his acceptance speech of uniting the party and winning a majority should Premier Christy Clark call an election.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons, who dropped out of the leadership race before the vote and threw his support behind John Horgan, said Dix is one of the smartest people he knows. He feels Dix will usher in a new chapter for the party. Simons said he’s happy to work with Dix on any issue and has been encouraged by his statements on poverty and education.
“I’m looking forward to making sure we have a really strong platform and we’ll present the people of the province with a good alternative to this government,” said Simons. “Our primary role is going to be making sure we project the unity that we have now so people understand we’re interested in addressing the issues that face British Columbians.”
