The BC Greens have released the rules for the upcoming leadership contest, set to begin on January 6.
Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau said she will use the Christmas season to make a decision about whether or not she will run.
“I am thinking very seriously about the leadership and I will be spending the Christmas break having a lot of conversations with family to sort out what the next steps are,” said Furstenau.
The party’s provincial council has appointed Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen as the interim party leader for the duration of the leadership campaign, which runs until June 27.
An interim leader can’t run for the permanent party leadership.
Furstenau said Olsen has a lot of experience to help guide the party through the leadership race.
“In 2013, Adam (Olsen) was the interim leader for two and a half years, did a great job, and it’s wonderful now that he has the legislative experience, as well as the past interim leader experience,” said Furstenau.
The major rules of the leadership race are listed below (from BC Greens website):
- Expanded voter base – includes people 16 or older who wish to support a candidate but don’t want to become a party member. Full membership in the party is already free for youth 25 and younger.
- The spending limit – for each candidate is $300,000, excluding fees paid to the party.
- Three debates – will commence after April 30. A debate will be held on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and the rest of BC.
- Voting – runs from June 15-26 (primarily online), with a secure telephone option for those who don’t have access to the internet. The party is using ranked ballots for a contest of three or more candidates, or first-past-the-post for a contest of two.
- Fees – paid to the party will total $16,000, plus a compliance deposit and 25 percent additional contributions.
