The provincial board of the BC Conservative Party has set the weekend of April 11, 2014 as the date for a leadership convention to replace John Cummins.
Cummins tendered his resignation to the board last week.
Party president Dan Denis says the April date will allow eight months for the campaign, giving potential candidates adequate time to present themselves to the party members before the province-wide mail-in vote.
"Our constitution entitles every single party member to have a vote on the vital question of leadership through a mail-in, preferential ballot system," said Denis in a news release. "Although people who come to the convention will have the option of bringing their ballots with them and voting at the event itself. We are also investigating the possibility of live-streaming the convention to different regions of the province, to allow as many people as possible to participate in the voting close to their homes, rather than having to travel to the actual convention in the Lower Mainland."
While not at liberty to disclose any names at this point, Denis said several candidates have already expressed an interest in running for the leadership.
"I'll leave it to each of them to make their own announcements, but I have every confidence that this race will inject new energy, new ideas, and new personalities into our party as we start gearing up for the 2017 election," he said.
The board plans to make a decision on the appointment of an interim leader by the end of this month.
"The board considers this leadership race to be a critical step forward in showcasing the B.C. Conservative Party as a credible and truly free-enterprise alternative to the B.C. Liberals, committed to balanced budgets, transparency, and accountability to the voters of B.C.," Denis added.
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