BC NDP: A week to go before party chooses new leader

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The BC NDP leadership race is down to four as party members tick down to the decision day.

Nicholas Simons is saying goodbye to his bid for the leader’s throne. Instead, he’s backing John Horgan, a man he calls smart, engaging and passionate.

Simons, the two-term Powell-River Sunshine Coast MLA, was a long shot, one of the so-called “Baker’s Dozen.” But he made his voice heard on child poverty and minimum wage. He also refused to give up his Facebook and Twitter passwords to party brass. Bold stuff in a social-media obsessed age, but it wasn’t the only big endorsement.

Mike Farnworth picked up big endorsement when former Premier Mike Harcourt decided to back him. Meanwhile, Adrian Dix picked up the support of BC Ferry Workers Union president Richard Goode.

Then a four-person debate Thursday night in Burnaby in front of a mostly union crowd. Not much of a debate though, so what is setting them apart?

Mike Farnworth: “I’ve been serving government as a minister. I think that gives me a unique insight on governing. That is a strength that I think I bring to this campaign.”

Dana Larsen: “…the cannabis, hemp, marijuana issue, one which is key to our province. It would bring 1.4 billion dollars into our economy every year. “

Adrian Dix: “What I’ve tried to do in politics since I’ve been elected is to deliver results for people. I brought people together to ensure that children who didn’t have insulin pump coverage now have it in British Columbia.”

John Horgan: “What we need to do to differentiate ourselves from the other guys is to tell a positive story. I am Irish, I tell stories. I like talking to people. I believe that I can go into a crowd of people and convince them that they’ve been New Democrats all their lives, they just didn’t know it yet.”

And we count down to Sunday, April 17th.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today