After whirlwind weekend that saw the NDP’s leader ousted at the party’s national convention, local MPs in New Westminster and Burnaby are taking stock of the events.
For New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian, he has some thinking to do with a leadership convention on the horizon.
The longtime MP said he’s not ruling out a run for the party’s leadership but added he needs time to think about it and talk to his constituents.
“I’ll be talking to folks in my riding,” he told the Record. “I’ll be listening to what they have to say. There will be a time to consider the question of leadership, but that time is not right now.”
It was a stunning weekend for political observers, as NDP leader Tom Mulcair was rejected by his party, losing a leadership vote with just 48 per cent support.
It comes six months after a disappointing third-place finish in the federal election for the NDP and now sets up a leadership convention within the next two years.
Julian, who publicly supported Mulcair, said he was surprised by the results.
“I was saddened,” he said, suggesting it was Mulcair’s work as the Opposition leader in the House of Commons that helped topple the Conservative government last election.
When asked whether the party is divided as many political commentators have suggested, Julian argued that’s not the case.
“It resolves the issue, we’re going to have a leadership convention,” he said.
Instead, Julian suspects the party will have some serious debates about how to move the party forward in the coming years.
“I think it’s extremely important we go through this process with a chance to look at where we are now as a party and how we can best serve Canadians,” he said.
It’s a similar sentiment for Burnaby South MP Kennedy Stewart.
He acknowledged the party was divided over Mulcair’s leadership, but the vote resolved the issue.
Stewart said he took a different approach to the Mulcair leadership vote, noting he met with party members in the riding earlier this year to come up with a consensus ahead of the convention.
He said it wasn’t reached at the time, but by the weekend, all of the delegates in the riding were in favour of a change in leader. Stewart said he followed their direction.
The Burnaby MP also said he’s not interested in running for the job, noting that he’s not fully bilingual.
Stewart said the next leader needs to strongly represent B.C.’s interest.
