The apparent frontrunner to take the top administrative job for the provincial New Democrats is encouraging his party to take its time in picking the next leader.
"I'm prepared to see a (leadership) convention as late as 2015," said Craig Keating. "I don't think there's any need to rush into making a decision around that."
Some in the party's outgoing executive are pushing for a new leader to be chosen in the spring, however that would not give potential candidates enough time to shore up supporters, Keating said.
"I don't know who is going to be in the race but let's have a race in which we generate excitement, expand our base and do that in a way that allows as many and as diverse a group of candidates as possible to get their names in and have a reasonable chance of winning," Keating said.
Keating, also a City of North Vancouver councillor, is the only declared candidate for party president.
The NDP's new leader will carry a hefty load when it comes to raising funds to wipe out the party's $1.7-million election debt as well as gearing up for the 2017 campaign, but those responsibilities ought to be born by the party as a whole, Keating argued.
"I think it is dangerous territory to say membership renewal, policy renewal, message renewal and financial renewal are all going to be laid at the doorstep of the new leader. I think it creates an expectation that no reasonable leader could confront."
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