Adrian Dix - 2011 NDP Leadership Race

2011 NDP Leadership Race

The last candidate to publicly launch his leadership bid, Dix campaigned on a platform of eliminating the HST, rolling back reductions in the corporate tax rate, supporting the redirection of carbon tax revenue to pay for public transit and infrastructure that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, supporting an increase in the minimum wage rate to $10 per hour, creating a provincial child care system, restoring grants to the post-secondary students, reducing interest on student loans, and restoring the corporation capital tax on financial institutions.

His candidacy was endorsed by former interim BC NDP leader Joy MacPhail, amongst others. Dix's campaign for the leadership was marred by controversy when thousands of new memberships arrived on the deadline date with $10 bills attached to them. Many of the new memberships had irregularities on the forms. Dix said that he wasn't sure what had happened. He said, "many people pay for membership by cash and I'm sure all the other campaigns as well." The party ruled that all memberships that arrived before the deadline would be processed.

Voting for the leadership lasted through three balloting rounds. Dix led the vote on each ballot and defeated rival Mike Farnworth on the third ballot with 51.8% of the vote.