B.C. NDP president Moe Sihota to step down

B.C. New Democratic Party President Moe Sihota has announced he is stepping down as party president when his term ends this November.

Sihota, who has been president since 2009, says the party has a lot of talent and it's time for other members to lead.

"You know, three critical positions in our party are leader, our president and our provincial secretary," he told CBC News.

"Jan O'Brien, who's the provincial secretary, is moving on, I'm moving on, and Adrian [Dix] is moving on, so I think it presents itself as a wonderful opportunity for a whole new generation of New Democrats to come forward and take the party into a fresh direction and hopefully one that appeals to voters."

Sihota says he was always planning to step down at the end of his term, regardless of the outcome of last May's provincial election. He plans to continue supporting and working with the party in the future.