Adrian Dix, left, at the British Columbia NDP Convention in Vancouver, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. The party will choose his successor in September, 2014.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
B.C. New Democrats will elect a new leader in September, 2014.
The party's provincial council decided on the date Sunday in a meeting that came at the end of the party's first convention since the provincial election this past May.
The party is looking at venues and other issues to determine a specific date in September, said party spokesperson Michael Roy.
New Democrats will be electing a successor to Adrian Dix, who led the party to unexpected defeat in the 2013 election. Despite trailing the NDP by double digits in polls heading into the campaign, the B.C. Liberals won a fourth straight majority government on a jobs- and economy-focused campaign.
Mr. Dix has announced his resignation, and said he would leave once the party picks a successor. He had called for a leadership vote in early 2014.
But the date of the convention has been a controversial issue among New Democrats, with a previous provincial council conference call failing to reach a consensus among those who wanted an early vote and those who wanted a later date, possibly in 2015.
Some leadership prospects in the NDP race had said a convention too early in 2014 would rule out candidates outside the caucus who would need time to organize a campaign. While several MLAs and MPs have expressed an interest in running, none have officially entered the race.
Ian Bailey