BC NDP leader Adrian Dix paid a short and sharp campaign stop in Richmond yesterday.
The event, before a throng of supporters at the party's local campaign office lasted a scant 20 minutes. And he had a pointed message for the other parties trailing them in the polls as the May 14 provincial election day nears.
Dix said the continued volley of attack-style campaigning from the opposition especially those directed at Richmond Centre's Frank Huang in three, traditionally strong liberal Richmond ridings shows the race is closer here than ever before.
Dix was referring to the revelation earlier this week that Huang was a member of Chinese Communist Party before moving to Canada in 2001.
When asked to respond in a media scrum to a CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) report that one of the Chinese government's top priorities is to allegedly target top Canadian politicians, Dix said the inference regarding Huang lacked respect.
"It is so disrespectful to say that people who come to Canada and become a part of the community and become Canadian citizens, can't participate in politics," Dix said. "Frank is a great candidate and he's going to do an excellent job."
Huang, who has left his position as editor of the Vancouver-based Global Chinese Press to run, said he joined the Communist Party as a way of advancing his career in one of the China's provincial government agencies.
"If you want to do a better job, if you want to serve the community, if want to do something for the people you need to need to have the opportunity of working in the government," he said. "And if you are a member of the party you have a better chance to do to job, get a promotion."
After moving to Canada he cut his ties with the party, became a Canadian citizen in 2004, but has done freelance reporting for some government publications in the past few years.
The information on Huang's previous political ties was released in emails from BC Conservatives candidate Lawrence Chen who is running against Huang in Richmond Centre, and Dr. Kenneth Fung, a Clinical Associate Professor in UBC's
Faculty of Medicine, who is also chair of Premier Christy Clark's Chinese Community Advisory Council.
On how the campaign is going for the NDP in Richmond, Dix said the situation mirrors the 2009 race in Chilliwack where the NDP was not expected to win.
He said his party's "secret plan" then was to select great candidates, run a positive campaign, outwork the liberals, "and we won Chilliwack," Dix said. "That is why I can say Richmond is NDP country, too."
The last time a BC NDP MLA served Richmond was in the early 1970s when Coun. Harold Steves was part of the Dave Barrett government.
Dix said the NDP has run a positive campaign throughout, in part to draw people into the political process.
"And how do we know it's working in Richmond?" he asked the crowd. "We know it's working in Richmond because the liberal party is targeting our candidates with a pattern of behavior that is nasty and inappropriate.
"What does that tell you? It tells you that we're doing well. That tells you that our positive campaign is working. That tells you our tremendous candidates are getting support here."
