New Brunswick Liberals to choose leader in October 2012

FREDERICTON – The president of the New Brunswick Liberal Party says the 11-month wait to vote on a new party leader is needed to develop the rules of the leadership convention.

The Grits will vote on a new leader in October 2012, party executives decided Sunday during a closed-door meeting at a weekend convention in Fredericton.

The precise date will be announced after the selection of a venue in Moncton.

Party president Britt Dysart said the wait is needed to develop the rules of the convention in light of decisions made Saturday, such as moving to a one-member, one-vote system.

“It’s going to take the party some time to develop the rules … and to work with some service providers to vet the technology that will allow for broad participation across the province,” said Dysart in an interview after the meeting.

“That, I think in the executive’s collective mind, dictated that we would look likely towards the fall as opposed to the spring for the exercise.”

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He said the time will also allow New Brunswickers to see “the cut of the gybe” of each of the leadership candidates.

Dysart said the continued absence of an official leader – which will be more than two years by next October – is not damaging to the party.

“There’s a sense in the party that we want to be as open and as inclusive as possible in terms of selecting our new leader and therefore, since we’re being so well served by (interim leader Victor Boudreau), I don’t think that any damage to the party will be done. Quite the contrary, I think it’s going to be an exciting year.”

Dysart said Mike Murphy, a Moncton lawyer and former cabinet minister, and northern New Brunswick dairy farmer Nick Duivenvoorden have already announced their candidacy.

About 600 members of the party attended the convention, which is attempting to rebuild the party after a major defeat in last year’s election.

The New Brunswick Liberal Association launched a renewal commission shortly after the party was thrown out of office last September, making it the first one-term government in the party’s history.

Party members debated and voted on 31 recommendations proposed by the renewal commission at the convention on Saturday.