A provincial election may be happening sooner than later for British Columbians.
Last week, the BC NDP took a big step left with the election of Adrian Dix as party leader.
We’re sure the B.C. Liberals couldn’t be happier.
Dix is a return to more familiar territory for the New Democrats, whose traditional base of support lies with unions.
Dix has also been around since the days of Glen Clark, so his roots with the party run deep.
But these two things ultimately could be the NDP’s undoing in the next provincial election.
There are many in B.C. who fear that a Dix-led government would mean higher taxes, higher government spending and a higher level of regulation for business.
Many also deeply fear a return to the Glen Clark years of government. It will be difficult for Dix to shed the fact he was Clark’s chief of staff, who was later forced to resign after it was revealed he had backdated a memo that would have shielded Clark from what would become known as the infamous Casinogate scandal.
If the NDP was serious about winning the next election, Mike Farnworth was the logical choice (the party leadership vote was 9,772 for Dix and 9,095 for Farnworth). He presented policies with a broader appeal to the more moderate voters of the province, many of whom are itching for a change from the HST-tarnished Liberals.
With his more middle of the road, dare we say liberal appeal, Farnworth was the candidate to really give Christy Clark a run for her money in the next election. But with Dix at the helm of the NDP, a Liberal win is pretty much money in the bank.