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NDP ready to select candidate, Liberals lag behind

North Coast NDP members will be choosing their candidate for the upcoming provincial election on Jan. 26, but the BC Liberals have yet to set a date for their candidate selection process.Two candidates are seeking the NDP nomination, after two-term MLA Gary Coons announced he would not be seeking re-election. The two are Joanna Larson, president of the Prince Rupert Teachers' Union, and Jennifer Rice, a Prince Rupert city councillor. Both candidates visited Haida Gwaii earlier in January."We have two excellent, high calibre candidates and I am excited for either candidate to represent the North Coast and bring positive change to BC," Mr. Coons said.The candidate will be elected in Prince Rupert at 1:30 pm on Jan. 26. NDP members living in outlying areas can vote by mail.Meanwhile, the BC Liberals do not have a candidate for the North Coast riding yet and have not set a date for selecting one, said communications officer Sam Oliphant.Mr. Oliphant said the BC Liberals are working with the local riding association to search out suitable candidates. Once the riding association has found one or more candidates, they will undergo a review by the head office. After that, BC Liberal party members will be invited to a candidate selection meeting, where the candidate will be either acclaimed or voted on, depending on how many there are.Mr. Oliphant said it is not unusual for ridings to wait until closer to the election to choose their candidates.The provincial election will be held May 14.Former Prince Rupert mayor Herb Pond was the Liberal candidate in the 2009 provincial election.