B.C. NDP reserves 25 ridings for female and minority candidates

CBC:

The B.C. NDP has finalized a list of 20 ridings that will be reserved for female and minority candidates to contest in the next provincial election. An additional five seats, where the sitting NDP MLAs don't plan on running again, have also been reserved for women. The selection of the ridings follows a motion at the party's annual convention last November that required the party to nominate women to run in at least 30 per cent of seats not currently held by the NDP. The motion also required that women be nominated to run in any seats vacated by NDP MLAs who won't be running in the next election. In addition, five riding nominations will be restricted to persons from ethnic and other minority groups that are under-represented in the legislature. Currently there are seven women in the party caucus of 32 sitting MLAs, including party leader Carole James. Former MLA Gregor Robertson recently resigned to run for the Vancouver mayoralty. The Liberals have 10 women among their 46 MLAs.There are 79 seats in the B.C. legislature. The next election, according to the province's fixed election date law, is to be held in May 2009.

NDP spokesman David Beaver confirmed the following list of Liberal-held ridings that the NDP will run female candidates in:

• Peace River North, Surrey Tynehead.,Prince George-Valemount ,Kamloops South; Westside Kelowna,Boundary-Similkameen,Langley.Port Moody-Coquitlam.Surrey Panorama,Richmond Centre,Burnaby Deer Lake,North Vancouver-Lonsdale,Comox Valley, Vancouver-Langara, Parksville-Qualicum

Under-represented minority groups only:

• Vancouver West End, Kootenay East, Abbotsford West, Vancouver-Fraserview,Delta South