Adrian Dix announced September 18 that he is stepping down as leader of British Columbia’s New Democratic Party.
The party suffered a surprising loss to Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberal party on May 14 in an election that many had believed would be a sure win for the NDP.
In a statement, Dix said he is putting aside his personal ambitions for the long-term good of the party.
“It has become clear to me that the best interests of our party mean that I need to step aside for a new leader who can lead us to victory in 2017,” Dix said.
“In the meantime, I intend to continue to lead our party and caucus in the important work of holding the Liberals to account for the promises they made during the election and their actions since.”
Dix said he will remain in the position until the party can hold a leadership vote to choose a new leader – something he said he hopes will happen by mid-2014 at the latest.
“Whoever is chosen as the next leader of our party will have my complete support and relentless effort as we prepare to defeat the Liberals and form government in 2017.”
He added that he will stay on as MLA in Vancouver-Kingsway.
