Carole James calls emergency NDP meeting

B.C. NDP Leader Carole James has called an emergency party meeting to hold dissident MLAs "accountable for their behaviour," saying the very existence of the party is at stake following a blistering attack on her leadership.

James announced the emergency meeting at a news conference in Vancouver on Thursday afternoon, flanked by 12 MLAs, and confirmed earlier reports that she still has no plans to step down as leader of the party.

But she refused to say she will fire dissident MLA Jenny Kwan from the caucus for issuing a scathing critique of her leadership and calling for a leadership convention on Wednesday.

Instead James said she will call together the party caucus, the party executive and other high-ranking officials within the NDP to meet at an undisclosed location to discuss the division within the party, including how to hold people accountable for their actions.

Party divided by dissent

Dissent within the NDP caucus has been growing since former Quesnel-area New Democrat Bob Simpson was expelled from the caucus for publicly criticizing a speech James made in September.

His expulsion sparked the resignations of caucus chairman Norm Macdonald and caucus whip Katrine Conroy, and resulted in the public outing of at least a dozen NDP caucus members with issues about James's leadership.

'I agree with Jenny.' —B.C. NDP MLA Harry Lali

But despite a strong endorsement from the party delegates two weeks ago, an embattled James is still leading a deeply divided B.C. NDP caucus with a now openly rebellious faction.

James has endured months of growing criticism from a number of her MLAs, and banished one maverick from caucus, but she received support from 97 of 115 delegates at a party council meeting Nov. 20.

Kwan speaks out

But on Wednesday, veteran Vancouver MLA Jenny Kwan issued a 900-word statement that skewered James's methods as leader and called for a leadership convention as soon as possible.

"Under Carole James's leadership, there has been a steady erosion of our democratic principles. Debate has been stifled, decision-making centralized, and individual MLAs marginalized," said Kwan. 

"Many are shocked at how some critical decisions are made or how caucus decisions have been later altered. Equally dismaying is how MLAs then learn about these decisions through the media."

Kwan said that, under James, the NDP had failed to, "capitalize on the B.C. Liberals' downfall."

"The B.C. NDP needs to have a leadership race in order to revitalize itself and to unify the party," she said.

The B.C. Liberals have had to deal with dramatically reduced public support after failing to sell the HST to British Columbians — a collapse that forced the resignation of Premier Gordon Campbell. A new Liberal leader will be elected Feb. 26.

In its vote of support for James last month, the NDP provincial council was rejecting a resolution calling for a leadership convention in 2011.

40 per cent opposed

There are 13 MLAs — or nearly 40 per cent — of the NDP's 34 caucus members who openly did not support James as leader at the November meeting.

After Kwan's bombshell Wednesday, others are speaking out.

"Her assessment of the situation, I have to say I agree with," said MLA Norm Macdonald, who quit as caucus chairman early in November.

Veteran MLA Harry Lali also was frank in his support of the dissident view.

" I agree with Jenny that the NDP needs renewal and reinvigoration."

James had not responded to Kwan's statement as of Wednesday night. Neither had provincial party president and former NDP cabinet minister Moe Sihota, who was also criticized in Kwan's broadside for allegedly taking part in "back room deals" in connection with his financial compensation from the party.

James could fire Kwan and force her to sit as an independent MLA with former NDP caucus member Bob Simpson, who was kicked out of caucus for relatively mildly criticizing James's leadership in a blog in October.

The question for James is how many MLAs would opt to join the mavericks.