B.C. NDP brass diss pot advocate's candidacy

The B.C. NDP isn't throwing out the welcome mat for the first person to declare his intention to seek the party leadershipand the would-be candidate is firing back.

Marijuana activist Dana Larsen announced Wednesday he wants to run on a platform of making pot legal, raising the minimum wage and reversing the privatization of B.C. Rail and BC Ferries.

"I plan on bringing a lot of new members into the party," Larsen said. "And I'll let the New Democrats decide who they want for their leader."

'Sihota chose to resolve this clerical error through the media.' NDP leadership hopeful Dana Larsen

But NDP provincial secretary Moe Sihota said Larsen was declared ineligible to run for the party after the 2008 federal election campaign when he had to step down as a candidate in a Vancouver-area riding after videos appeared of him smoking pot and taking LSD.

Sihota also counted Larsen out on a technicality, which he said ultimately could prevent Larsen from running provincially at all.

Membership disputed

"He's not a member of the party," said Sihota. "He was already deemed ineligible to run for the party federally and the rules committee, which meets on Jan. 6, would have to decide whether he would be able to run provincially."

Larsen disputed Sihota's contention.

"I donate regularly to the NDP and have been a member in good standing for seven years," he said in a release late Wednesday.

"In November, I spoke with the B.C. NDP office to renew my membership, change my address and make a donation. The donation was processed, however, my address change, and now it seems my membership, were not," said Larsen.

He also accused Sihota of foul play.

"Moe Sihota chose to resolve this clerical error through the media rather than contacting me directly," Larsen said. "That is highly irregular not at all in keeping with the NDP's commitment to democracy."

Leader Carole James's sudden resignation announcement Dec. 6 has prompted the unplanned leadership race.

Candidacy dismissed

The confusion about candidacy rules shows the party is in disarray, said political scientist Kennedy Stewart of Simon Fraser University.

"But it will, I think, prompt the NDP to get their act together and get this show on the road," said Stewart.

He said Larsen's bid was likely a publicity stunt to further his pot advocacy work.

Former NDP MLA David Schreck also dismissed Larsen, calling his candidacy a joke that would quickly be forgotten when some serious candidates appear in the New Year.

The party plans to hold a leadership vote to replace James on April 17 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Several potential contenders have expressed interest in the job, including Fraser-Nicola MLA Harry Lali and Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain MLA Mike Farnworth, but no one else has officially entered the race.